Talk:Permethrin

Pregnancy safety
The opening potion of the wiki says "Use during pregnancy appears to be safe". There needs to be a citation to affirm that statement. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.228.186.84 (talk) 15:04, 10 July 2017 (UTC)

MSDS
I removed the link to the MSDS as it was no longer valid. 66.251.68.106 (talk) 21:42, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Permethrin toxicity
This is what safe2use.com says about permethrin: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified permethrin as a carcinogen because it causes lung tumors in female mice and liver tumors in mice of both sexes.

Wikipedia says permethrin is not classified as a carcinogen.

What's up with that? bstout@news-press.com 74.93.47.33 17:09, 6 June 2007 (UTC)

In the Toxicity section, the article states that "Permethrin is also highly toxic to cats." The issue that I have is that Permethrin is one of the three active ingredients in Sergeant's Flea and Tick Spray for Cats at .050%, along with Pyrethrins at .056% and "related reaction products" (whatever that might mean!) at .004%. Could a major pet care company afford the liability of using a chemical in a product that was highly toxic to the intended user of that product?

I would vote for a change of wording in that section, even though I won't make the change myself because I don't want to touch something controversial.

Moderators? Any opinions or input here?

Thanks, Frank Looper username: franklooper —Preceding unsigned comment added by Franklooper (talk • contribs) 02:34, 20 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Permethrins are toxic to cats and I would recommend leaving the wording as it is. Here's a quote from the Merck Veterinary Manual "Some pyrethroids, such as permethrin, can be highly toxic to cats." .  A more detailed article can be seen at the ASPCA's Poison Control website here .  You'll note that it's talking about permethrin concentrations much higher than .050%, but those are the concentrations it's typically found at.  I'm not commenting on the safety of the Sergeant's product, but I think it's better to have a blanket statement about permethrin being toxic in cats than to try and give a safe dose (especially since I don't know what the safe dose is, only that it is very much lower than what you find in most flea products).  We can use the ASPCA article as a source if you like.  Let me know what you think.  --Joelmills 03:14, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

The article states, "It is not known to harm most mammals or birds. It generally has a low mammalian toxicity and is poorly absorbed by skin."

But then in the next paragraph is also states, "Its use is controversial since, as a broad-spectrum chemical, it kills indiscriminately; as well as the intended pests, it can harm beneficial insects including honey bees, aquatic life,[1] and small mammals such as mice. Permethrin, in larger doses, is toxic to cats, which can become ill or die after being given flea treatments intended for dogs, or after contact with dogs who have recently been treated with permethrin."

These seem to be contradicting statements. Oawaap (talk) 21:32, 14 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Hence the word MOST in the statement - therefore, there are exceptions - such as cats. HammerFilmFan (talk) 10:33, 3 June 2012 (UTC)

Neurotoxicity
Is this article respectable? Health Effects of Permethrin-Impregnated Army Battle-Dress Uniforms (1994). Should the article mention the varying toxicity of the isomers? The article does not mention its use for treating timber before building construction or when insect infested. Vernon White '''. . . Talk''' 23:13, 10 November 2007 (UTC)

On the topic of neurotoxicity. Would low levels of occasional of exposure to permethrin cause any lasting damage to brain tissue or neurons? Suppose a person lived in a house in which a roach spray (containing permethrin) was applied several times a year over a period of several years throughout much of the house. The article just state that permethrin, "...functions as a neurotoxin, affecting neuron membranes by prolonging sodium channel activation." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.23.115.144 (talk) 23:34, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

DDT
I do not know if discussion of DDT is terribly relevant in this article. If it is to remain, the section stating "given the well known risks" should be amended to specify that there are only proven risks to certain bird and fish species and no credible evidence that links DDT exposure to negative health outcomes for humans. Furthermore, while the article states correctly that DDT is an extremely effective insecticide, it states that it is used because it is inexpensive. This is conjecture, DDT is used because it is the most effective, and long-lasting insecticide that can be used for indoor residual spraying (IRS)- the fact that it lasts twice as long as other insecticides certainly lends usefulness. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.58.6.23 (talk) 02:04, 11 April 2008 (UTC)


 * The section on DDT usage in this article reads like someone being extremely apologetic and feeling guilty about personally using it. Very weird paragraph. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.95.44.134 (talk) 09:48, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Removed copyrighted section by rollback
I have rolled back the article to its April 4 state.

The reason is that someone added a section that was apparently copied from, which contains no assertion that its content is licensed for use under the GFDL.

Please add only content that follows the rules, so that they can be legally used on Wikipedia (and its mirrors) under copyright law. --Alvestrand (talk) 08:49, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Added information about Parkinson's effects of permethrin
I added a line regarding the connection (via US Military study) between Parkinsons and permethrin. I also removed a line that claimed permethrin had 'low if any toxicity' which is clearly not the case. Just because it's not lethal doesn't mean it's non-toxic: it s a documented mutagen, carcinogen, teratogen, and possibly a hepatotoxin as well. 75.109.139.130 (talk) 17:11, 4 September 2009 (UTC)

Incorrect Diagrams
The diagram labelled (1R)-trans-permethrin (biopermethrin) is incorrect- the stereoisomer depicted is actually another (1S)-trans-permethrin. The file to which it is linked is also incorrectly labelled as biopermethrin (again, the (1R)- stereoisomer). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.159.27.129 (talk) 03:04, 10 October 2009 (UTC)

Brand names
The NIX disambig page states "Nix (Permethrin), Brand-name of Permethrin (anti-lice drug) in North America", as seems to be the case. However the article itself says "In nordic countries it is marketed under trade name Nix", and mentions nothing about the use of the trademark in N. America. I've heard "NIX" used for a scabies & lice treatment (here in Canada), and it must be referring to Permethrin, but am not knowledgeable enough on the matter to put that in myself. Will someone please put it in if it's true, or change the disambig page if it's not. Thanks.--Keithonearth (talk) 19:13, 23 February 2012 (UTC)

Paranix and Lyclear both claim not to contain any insecticides and to act in a "purely physical manner" -- not evidently Johnson & Johnson — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.239.0.169 (talk) 22:06, 27 October 2016 (UTC)

Permethrin cream is marketed by Renaissance Pharma as of at least 12-10-2016. 2601:206:8100:6056:1E87:2CFF:FE63:9DD4 (talk) 00:26, 11 December 2016 (UTC)

Origin? In plants?
Homemade tick repellent is making rounds in FB and I'd like to know; do any plants/herbs have "natural" P content? 2nd: Who first synthesized P and where it was extracted? (83.245.244.46 (talk) 14:02, 20 July 2014 (UTC))
 * Permethrin is synthetic, but it is similar in chemical structure to natural pyrethrins which are found in chrysanthemums. -- Ed (Edgar181) 16:41, 20 July 2014 (UTC)

Military Use
I know first hand that the US military does not treat "every" new uniform. I'll find the pubs that give the guidance on when and how to treat uniforms.Kerwin15 (talk) 02:43, 2 September 2014 (UTC)

Airport Check Triggers
Would it be noteworthy to say that Permethrin may trigger Airport explosives security check? And cause unsuspecting citizens a lot of frustration? Example is when it triggered TSA alarm as per this article https://varnull.adityamukerjee.net/2013/08/22/dont-fly-during-ramadan/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 185.38.166.182 (talk) 13:19, 20 March 2017 (UTC)

Article organization regarding the sub-topic of safety
This article has a splintered array of safety related information. Safety is sub-sub-topic under side-effects. It then appears again as part of the sub-topic "Toxicology and Safety". It is my humble opinion that Toxicology and Safety should be separate sub-topics, and that the information under "Side-effects / Safety" should be contained wholly within the sub-topic of "Safety". JamesOgdenBox (talk) 04:46, 17 August 2016 (UTC)JamesOgdenBox
 * Have adjusted. Doc James  (talk · contribs · email) 18:45, 11 December 2016 (UTC)

Production
A section on the production/synthesis is missing. 194.187.232.38 (talk) 07:02, 24 May 2017 (UTC)
 * There should be something about Pyrethrin which I believe is the organic "precursor". Kortoso (talk) 21:52, 31 January 2018 (UTC)
 * Permethrin is a pyrethroid, meaning it is similar in structure to pyrethrin, but pyrethrin is not a precursor in the production of permethrin. ChemNerd (talk) 21:58, 31 January 2018 (UTC)

Link to autism
There are at least a couple of studies showing an association between spraying of pyrethroids, and permethrin specifically, with autism rates. 'Neurodevelopmental Delay Diagnosis Rates Are Increased in a Region with Aerial Pesticide Application' found this to apply to zip codes in NY, and 'Tipping the Balance of Autism Risk: Potential Mechanisms Linking Pesticides and Autism' did much the same in California. Should "safe during pregnancy" stay in the lede, and mention of these studies be omitted from the article? 199.200.120.135 (talk) 18:41, 24 July 2018 (UTC)

Detailed insecticidal effect on clothes
I found some slides with lots of interesting details about the use of permethrin as an insecticide on clothing (mainly military uniforms). It includes many references that appear to be reliable sources that perhaps may be used to add detail to this article. Fernando Trebien (talk) 01:40, 29 May 2023 (UTC)