We’re outnumbered, folks! The estimated number of insects to humans is 200 million to one. This is a battle we will most definitely lose. Yet, we try in vain. In this hive of insect activity, repellents can help you steer clear of nasty stings and bites. But is our reliance on bug sprays harming our health?

Welcome to Fatal Conveniences™

This is a bite-sized segment that parallels The Darin Olien Show. In these segments, we get into society's Fatal Conveniences™. I define these as the things we may be doing because the world we live in makes us believe we have to. These things save us time and trick us into thinking they're actually good for us. But it's those same things that are breaking down our health and the health of the environment around us.

I've spent most of my adult life obsessively researching these "conveniences." On every show, I pick one topic, and we dive into it. My goal is to make you more aware of these traps so that you can push back on them. Remember, it starts with you and the choices you make. So, if you're willing to look at your world from a different perspective and make little tweaks that amount to big changes, then this segment is for you.

Mosquitos are a pest!

Every year, a third of us will cover ourselves with almost five pounds of bug repellent to keep those blood-thirsty bugs at bay. Okay, so there is a good reason to do so. After all, there are many mosquito and tick-transmitted diseases to ward-off; West Nile virus, malaria, and Lyme Disease, to name a couple. So, I'm not here to tell you that protecting yourself from bites isn't important. But, if the repellent you're using can fend off mosquitoes, maybe what it's doing to you isn't so great either.

In this Fatal Conveniences™, I break down the most common toxic chemicals that lurk in insect repellents, such as DEET (N, N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide), which is the granddaddy of them all. I also break down how these repellents affect children, and the simple things you can do today to keep insects away without sacrificing your health.

Bugs, insects, Insecta or insectum- whatever you call our hexapod invertebrates, these creepy critters are vital for our ecosystems. So, finding non-harmful, preventative alternatives is crucial for the survival of not only us as a species, but also this incredible planet that we live on.

More great info in this segment:

• The three main chemicals in bug sprays
• The effects DEET can have on your body
• What is Picaridin, and should you be worried?
• Permethrin and what it can do to your brain and DNA
• How certain insect repellents affect children
• What your best defense against but
• The alternatives to mainstream insect repellents

Other Great Resources To Read:

• National Pesticide Information Center – Permethrin Fact Sheet
• National Pesticide Information Center – DEET Fact Sheet
• Made Safe.org - Chemicals of Concern in Insect Repellent
• Duke University DEET Study
• Picaridin VS DEET: Which Is The Best Insect Repellent?
• EPA Permethrin Fact Sheet
• Cancer Incidence among Pesticide Applicators Exposed to Permethrin in the Agricultural Health Study
• Plant-Based Insect Repellents: a review of their efficacy, development, and testing
• What You Want To Know About Insect Repellent and Chemical Safety
• EPA Information on DEET
• Study on possible neurological and behavior modification and toxicity regarding DEET.
• gov – Pesticides and Cancer
• Health Hazards of Mosquito Repellents and Safe Alternatives
• EWG's Guide to Better Insect Repellents
• Natural News Article: Insect repellent DEET is toxic to brain cells
• Colmen's Botanicals  – Colmenrepellents.com
• Citrepel – Citrapel.co.uk
• REPEL Plant-Based Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent
• Netflix’ Down To Earth’ Official Trailer
• Download Darin’s amazing new lifestyle app and get 3 days free at 121Tribe.com
• Barukas Nuts 15% discount with code “DARIN”

 

To register for We Are Podcast, go to WeArePodcast.com/darin. For 20% off your ticket, use code DARIN. 

The Darin Olien Show is produced by the team at Must Amplify. If you’re looking to give a voice to your brand, and make sure that it’s heard by the right people, head to www.mustamplify.com/darin to see what Amplify can do for you.