Serving Size: 4.84 MB Servings Per Container: 1 In Your Body On Your Body For Your Home For Your Family Seeking Medical Treatment How to Detoxify Your Body Guide to Symptoms A Healthy House Values, Vision & Mission Background & History Staff & Advisors News & Upcoming Events Join Our Mailing List Contact Us Recommended Resources Index of Terms Works Cited This product contains 100% natural ingredients. Easy Pay Pal Donations TNTP Grade A Brain-food More Special Features Back to Index of Terms The product Flea Foggers & Sprays is in the following categories: For your Pets Flea Foggers & Sprays CHEMICALS CONTAINED: The most common pesticide used in household foggers and sprays is pyrethrins. The issue is not necessarily with pyrethrins themselves, but more so with the other synthetic chemicals that they’re combined with in the product. Since there tends to be some confusion about this, it is important to understand the distinction between three very different, but similar-sounding terms. Pyrethrum is the oleoresin extract from dried Chrysanthemum flowers and is a natural insecticide. Pyrethrins are the six insecticidally active ingredients derived from pyrethrum. Pyrethroids are synthetic versions of pyrethrins, created to increase the toxicity and persistence of the pesticide. Conventional products almost always contain both pyrethrins and Pyrethroids. Permethrin, Resmethrin, Cypermethrin, and Fenvalerate are common pyrethrin/pyrethroid agents. Pesticides always contain “inert” or “inactive” ingredients that make up the bulk of the product – sometimes almost the entire product. Since these ingredients are not the “active ingredients” – the ones “that can kill, repel, attract, mitigate, or control a pest” – companies are protected by the EPA from having to list them on the label, as they are considered “secret trade ingredients.” There are approximately 1200 inerts that are present in about twenty thousand different pesticide formulations. HEALTH CONCERNS: Pyrethrins and Pyrethroids kill insects by causing their nerves to rapidly re-fire (through disruption of the sodium-potassium pump). All organisms share the same neurological processes, and since pesticides don’t target one organism like they claim to, all neurons – not just the one’s in insects – are affected. Yes, that means your pet’s neurons and your own. They also disrupt enzyme activity necessary for normal brain function, and significantly compromise the immune and antioxidant systems in the body. Inert ingredients are often as, if not more, dangerous than active ingredients. Some inerts increase an active ingredient’s persistence in the environment by making it more resistant to break-down. Other inerts may damage the enzymes in the liver that are designed to detoxify the chemicals, while some inhibit the enzymes that break down neurotransmitters at the nerve junction…and the build-up of neurotransmitters is what causes the paralysis and death of the insects. TIPS & ALTERNATIVES: Frequent vacuuming of rugs and washing of any upholstery or bedding that pets sleep on will help to prevent fleas. Frequent bathing and combing (with a flea comb) helps also. When you find fleas on the comb, drop them into a container of soapy water that you will flush down the toilet afterwards. If you have fleas in your home that you’re trying to get rid of, you can do a few different things. Heat kills fleas, so you can remove your pets and plants from the house, close all of the windows, and turn your heat up to 122 degrees F for several hours. When you return to the house, you want to vacuum everything. If you don’t like the effect that option may have on your heating bill, then you can try sprinkling diatomaceous earth around the periphery of your home. Since this is not something that you would want babies or pets to eat, it ay not be the most convenient option for you. In her book “Home Safe Home,” Debra Lynn Dadd recommends making your own insecticidal spray with pure pyrethrin powder or ground-up dried chrysanthemum leaves. Combine 10 grams of either powder into a light-proof bottle with 4 ounces of alcohol. Shake the mixture occasionally and let it stand for 24 hours at room temperature. Then pour the mixture through a coffee filter before putting it in a spray bottle to use. Back to Index of Terms