New Zealand EPA approves novel mosquito repellent

The New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) decision-making committee has recently approved an application from SC Johnson & Son Pty Ltd for a portable mosquito repellent for use outdoors.

The repellent consists of a strip impregnated with metofluthrin, a substance from the pyrethroid family. Each strip is part of a refill cartridge intended to be inserted into a battery operated portable vaporizer for use outdoors by the general public. Each cartridge would provide up to 12 hours of head-to-toe protection.

No other currently approved substances in New Zealand contain this new active ingredient.

The EPA committee has set additional controls to reduce risks to children and pets and to establish whether the potential side effects on the health of users are as limited as anticipated. These additional controls are: a statement to be printed on the front label of the vaporizer and on the refill strips; a requirement for the applicant to take all practicable steps to collect and hold information on incidents related to the use of the repellent strips for a duration of three years after the approval; and a report compiling the collected incident data to be provided to the EPA once a year for the three years after the approval.

The EPA committee considered the benefits of the use of the mosquito repellent strips would outweigh the risks the substance poses to human health and the environment.
The decision is consistent with the purpose of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996.