FACTS ABOUT THE MOSQUITO COIL

INTRODUCTION

"Not many people know about it, but the damage done to your lungs by one mosquito coil is equivalent to the damage done by 100 cigarettes."

                   - Sandeep Salvi, Chest Research Foundation Director

Mosquito coils found in most of the houses. It is one of the common household items, which used to kill mosquitoes. Mosquito coils are spiral shaped, green coloured, with or without smoke and it is available in cheaper rate. One coil may last about 7 to 12 hours. Mosquito coils come with pleasant or unpleasant aroma.

Mosquito coils used in tropical and sub tropical countries where there is a warm climate prevails. Asia, Africa, South America, Canada and Australia use Mosquito coils to prevent from mosquito bites.

Mosquito coils burned indoors as well as in outdoors. Mosquito coils made up in two ways. One is coils made up of insecticide     that produces smoke and kills mosquitoes; the second is coils made up of essential oils extracted from citronella.

HISTORY

Mosquito problems are as antique as the pyramids. Since ancient period, the mosquito repellents are in use.

The Pharaoh Sneferu (around 2613–2589 BCE) the founder of the fourth dynasty of Egypt, and Cleopatra VII, the final pharaoh of ancient Egypt made use of netted beds as a prevention measure from mosquito bites.

Ancient Egyptians used essential oils.

Insect-repellent plants used/applied traditionally for thousands of years in different civilizations. These plants hanged or burned to drive away or to kill mosquitoes. Oils applied on the skins and clothes.

The use of mosquito coils as repellents of mosquitoes emerged in the last decade of 19^th century. Mosquito coils first invented  in Japan. Pyrethrum used as an insecticide in Persia and Europe for centuries, which later became the ingredient for producing the mosquito coils in the late 1800.

Ueyama Eiichiro was a businessperson in Japan. He was exporting mandarin oranges. Ueyama met a seed trader in United States. The seed trader offered him with some seeds claiming that the seed knocks down or kills insects. Ueyama imported the seed and started to grow in Japan. Ueyama called the plant ‘jyochūgiku’(“bug-banishing chrysanthemum”).

The flower part of the seed were dried and made into a powder. The powder mixed with starch and Ueyama created it like an incense stick. It worked good and repelled mosquitoes but it lasts less than an hour.

In 1985, Ueyama’s wife Yuki said him to make the stick thicker, longer and in spiral shape for long lasting. After a long trials and efforts in 1902, Ueyama came up with long, lengthier and spiral shaped mosquito coil manually. The mosquito coils made manually until 1957, and then the production mechanized.

The active component present in the jyochūgiku flower presently synthesized and it called as ‘Pyrethrin’. This found naturally in the flowers and has strong insecticidal quality. It repels insects in smaller doses and kills the insects by attacking their nervous system in higher doses. Pyrethrin generally used as an ingredient in repellents worldwide.

After the Second World War, Dainihon Jochugiku Co. Ltd., the current company of Ueyama established as a joint venture in various countries, headquartered in Osaka. The trademark of his mosquito coils included green colour packaging with red rooster head.

INGREDIENTS

The active ingredients present in mosquito coils are :

• Pyrethrum : natural powdered chemical found in chrysanthemum plant.

• Pyrethrin : an extract from Pyrethrum.

• Allethrin : the first synthetic Pyrethroid.

• Esbiothrin : form of Allethrin.

• Butylated hydrxytoluene or dibutyl hydrxytoluene (BHT) : prevents Pyrethroid from oxidizing while burning.

• Piperonyl butoxide (PBO) : improves the effectiveness of Pyrethroid.

• N-(2-ethylhexyl)-bicyclo-(2,2,1)hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboximide (MGK 264) or  N-Octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide

• N,N-Diethyl-Meta-Toluamide (DEET)

• Metofluthrin

• Dimefluthrin

The other compounds released during burning of mosquito coils are : aldehydes, formaldehydes, fine and ultrafine particles, benzene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene.

FACTS ABOUT MOSQUITO COILS

Now let us see some of the unknown facts about the mosquito coils.

• Mosquito coils burnt only in outdoors or highly ventilated space.

• Burning of one mosquito coil discharges the similar amount of Particulate matter (PM) of 2.5.

• 2.5 PM is similar to burning of 75 -137 cigarettes.

• "The formaldehyde released from burning of one coil is equal to or as high as burning of 51 cigarettes". - Arun Mahanta, Pulmonary Doctor.

• The smoke of mosquito coil contains small particles, which are less than 1µm, metal fumes, and the vapour reaches alveolar regions of lungs.

• Octachloro dipropyl ether (S -2) is an active ingredient present in mosquito coils, continuous exposure to this chemical increases the bis-chloromethyl  ether (BCME) level of the body which leads to lung cancer.

• Octachloro dipropyl ether (S -2) banned in India said by the Directorate of Forensic Science.

• Mosquito coils can cause fire accidents.

• DEET is a registered pesticide, approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

• As an alternate to mosquito coils formulated with chemicals or to avoid inhale of smoke, natural repellents are used.

Natural mosquito repellents contain any one of the following oils:

• Lemon Eucalyptus oil                    
• Geranium oil                                 
• Soybean oil                                     
• Clove oil                                       
• Neem oil                                        
  
• Citronella
• Fennel
• Thyme
• Celery extracts
• Picaridin

• EPA recommends repellents cream, which contains DEET (not more than 30% concentration) or Picaridin is secure for use on newborns who are over 2 months old.

• National Centre for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, identified a large suite of volatile organic compounds, including carcinogens and suspected carcinogens found in the mosquito coil smoke.

CONCLUSION

Mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting various diseases like malaria, filariasis, dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, West Nile virus and Zika viruses. Personal protection and controlling of mosquitoes are the best solution for healthy life. Mosquito coils might be effective in killing or drive away of mosquitoes and reducing mosquito bites. Since they are effective, it does not mean that they are safe and good practice to use often. Continuous inhalation of smoke, i.e., chemicals present in the mosquito coils leads to carcinogenic. Mosquito nets and mosquito repellent sprays can be used as an alternate.