Grapefruit Comes New – “This new compound can be used in

“This new compound can be used in the future in repellents to protect against insects and pesticides that protect people from disease,” said Alexandra Dapolito Dunn Assistant Administrator of the EPA in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, in a CDC press release. The Nootkatone, found in Alaska’s yellow cedar and grapefruit, can also kill insects resistant to DDT, pyrethroids and other common insecticides, CDC said in a press release from the Highly Contained Disease Control and Prevention Center, which Nootkaton developed. Branded diseases are responsible for nearly eight out of ten vector-borne diseases in the United States, the agency said. How does it work? It appears to activate receptors in insects that send electrical impulses from one nerve cell to another, said Ben Beard, vice president of the CDC’s Vector Disease Division. The citrus-flavor ingredient, just approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and known as Nootkatone, repels mosquitoes, ticks, insects and fleas. And unlike natural insect repellents such as citronella, peppermint and citronella oil, Nootkatone doesn’t lose its effectiveness after an hour, added Coats. “Its use as an insecticidal soap has great potential.” Dwayne Gabler, former CDC director for vector-borne diseases, told the New York Times. CDC’s licensed partner, Swiss company Evolva, is negotiating with leading pest control companies on a possible business partnership, the agency said. REFERENCES: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, News Flash, Jay Butler Augusta is Deputy Director of the U.S. Agency for Infectious Diseases. According to the CDC, the number of reported cases of these diseases doubled between 2004 and 2018. “In many parts of the United States, mosquitoes have become resistant to the pesticides now available. It repels ticks better than DEET or other synthetic chemicals and can also repel mosquitoes. One of the suggested uses for soap is that people can use it to take a tick to bathe in contaminated areas, to repel ticks and eventually kill those who try to take possession of them.