Safety Measures Pyrethroid Insecticides Recommended for Treatment of Mosquito Nets Are Relatively Non-Toxic to Humans, Mammals and Birds
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88 CHAPTER 1 • MOSQUITOS AND OTHER BITING DIPTERA Safety measures Pyrethroid insecticides recommended for treatment of mosquito nets are relatively non-toxic to humans, mammals and birds. A distinction should be made between safety for people using treated fabric and safety for people who carry out the treatment. Fabric treated at the recommended dosage is not hazardous after drying. During treatment the insecticide mixture should not come into contact with the skin, particularly the lips, mouth, eyes and any open wounds. Rubber gloves should be used during the treatment process, and care should be taken to avoid splashing solution into the eyes and inhaling fumes. When many treatments are to be done it is better to work outdoors or in a well ventilated space and use open, shallow containers. People who inhale the fumes of the insecticide mixture may develop a headache or irritation of the nose or eyes. This occurs more frequently with deltamethrin or lambdacyhalothrin than with permethrin or cyfluthrin. A tingling sensation in the skin of the hands may be felt when treatment is carried out without gloves. These side-effects disappear within a few hours. If the eyes are contaminated or the skin shows an irritant reaction, the affected part should be rinsed thoroughly with clean water. Medical advice must be sought if pyrethroids are swallowed. Safety of treated nets After drying, care should be taken to prevent small children who sleep under a net from putting part of it in their mouths. Synthetic nets (nylon, polyester) freshly treated with a relatively high dose (0.030 g/m2) of lambdacyhalothrin may cause cold-like symptoms, such as sneezing and a runny nose during the first 1–2 weeks of use. At the lower dosage of 0.010 g/m2, which still has a prolonged insecticidal effect, the side-effects last only a day (93). No side-effects have been reported with synthetic or cotton nets treated with permethrin or with cyfluthrin as an oil-in- water emulsion. How to prepare the appropriate solution and treat and dry the fabric The fabric to be treated should first be thoroughly cleaned or washed if it is dirty; it should be completely dry by the day of treatment. This is of special importance when bednets belonging to different people are impregnated in the same mixture. When several nets are treated at the same time, they should be marked with a waterproof marker to allow each to be returned to its owner. 1. Calculate the surface area of the fabric to be treated (Fig. 1.70). 2. Determine the amount of water needed to completely soak the fabric (Table 1.4): Partially fill a bowl or bucket with a known quantity of water (Fig. 1.71). • Soak the fabric in the water. • Wring it out gently and/or allow it to finish dripping, collecting the run- • off in the container. Measure the difference between the initial and the remaining amount of • water. You can do this with a large measuring cylinder, or by finding the difference in weight of fabric before and after soaking and dripping. The difference in grams is equal to the number of millilitres (ml) of water BiologyCONTROL MEASURES 89 Fig. 1.70 The surface area of a rectangular bednet is calculated using the formula: S = 2(a × c) + 2(b × c) + (a × b). absorbed by the fabric. This gives the amount of water needed to prepare the solution. 3. Prepare the solution for treatment: • Calculate the total weight of insecticide needed (T) as: T = D × S where D = the chosen dosage (g/m2) S = the total surface area of fabric (m2). The amount of insecticide concentrate needed to prepare the solution (I) can be calculated as follows: I = T/C where C = the amount of active ingredient in the insecticide concentrate (g/ml). For example, 25% emulsifiable concentrate contains 25 g per 100 ml, thus 1 ml contains 0.25 g of active ingredient. Measure out the volume needed with a small measuring cylinder or pipette (Fig. 1.72). Measure out the required quantity of diluting water with a large measur- • ing cylinder (or measuring can), as calculated in step 2. • Mix the emulsifiable concentrate with water in a suitable container. 90 CHAPTER 1 • MOSQUITOS AND OTHER BITING DIPTERA Table 1.4 The quantity of water absorbed by different types of netting material and the amount of permethrin required to treat netting at a rate of 0.5 g/m2a Quantity Amount of water (ml) Amount of 10% Amount of 25% Amount of 55% of netting permethrin (ml) permethrin (ml) permethrin (ml) material Polyethylene Nylon/ Cotton netting polyester netting netting (den. 100/ mesh 156) 1m2 14 30 130 5 2 0.9 1 net 175 375 1625 62.5 25 11.5 (12.5m2) 4 nets 700 1500 6500 250 100 45.5 12 nets 2100 4500 19500 750 300 136.5 20 nets 3500 7500 32500 1250 500 227.5 a This table is based on field data from Dr R. Montanari, WHO, Papua New Guinea and from Dr C. Curtis, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, England. Fig. 1.71 Utensils and equipment needed for treating fabrics with insecticide. Fig. 1.72 Pouring emulsion concentrate into a measuring cylinder. BiologyCONTROL MEASURES 91 To make sure the fabric is completely impregnated, it may be advisable to prepare some excess mixture. The excess, as well as the run-off liquid after wringing out, can be reused to impregnate other fabrics. 4. After calculating the amount of water absorbed (step 2), dry the fabric. Submerge the clean dry fabric in the mixture, pressing and squeezing thoroughly to remove air and make sure the fabric is completely soaked (Fig. 1.73). Large articles such as bednets should be folded into a neat package to facilitate removal of air and penetration of the mixture. This is especially important with stiff, non-elastic bednets made of polyethylene. The container in which the articles are treated should be large enough to allow them to be handled and turned over without spilling the mixture. Buckets, dustbins, washing-up bowls or plastic bags may be suitable, de- pending on the number and size of the items to be treated. If a plastic bag is used, it should be filled with the amount of mixture needed to saturate the fabric without leaving any excess. After putting the item into the bag, seal the top by tying or twisting. Shake and knead the bag vigorously for 10 minutes (Fig. 1.74). Then remove the fabric and allow to dry without wringing it out. 5. Take the wet item out of the treatment container, gently wring out any excess liquid or allow it to drip back into the container. Place the fabric on a plastic sheet or other clean, non-absorbent surface to dry, e.g. banana leaves (Fig. 1.75). If a plastic bag is used for treatment it can be cut open to make a drying sheet. During the drying process the fabric should be turned over from time to time. The drying time depends, among other factors, on the thickness of the fabric, the quantity of water absorbed and the surface area exposed to sun and wind. A cotton mosquito net takes several hours to dry. Exposure to bright sunlight may partially destroy pyrethroid insecticides, so it is preferable to keep wet fabrics away from sunshine. Generally, items should not be hung up to dry immediately because insecticide will be lost as a result of dripping and will spread unevenly in the Fig. 1.73 Treatment of a fabric by pressing and soak- ing. Rubber gloves should be used to protect the hands. 92 CHAPTER 1 • MOSQUITOS AND OTHER BITING DIPTERA Fig. 1.74 Impregnation of fabric in a plastic bag. Fig. 1.75 Dry the treated material on a plastic sheet or other clean non- absorbent surface, avoiding di- rect sunshine. Fig. 1.76 When a freshly impregnated fabric has been drying for some time on a horizontal surface, it can be hung up to speed up the process. fabric. When they have been drying for some time on the ground they may then be hung up to speed up the process (Fig. 1.76). Cotton is less likely than synthetic materials to drip when hung up to dry after being wrung out. In some instances a gradient of insecticide in a fabric may be useful, for example in hammock nets because the lower part is where the net comes into contact with the body (see p. 72). Such a gradient can be achieved by hanging up the item at an early stage in the drying process (Fig. 1.77). BiologyCONTROL MEASURES 93 Fig. 1.77 Devices made of poles and plastic sheeting for large-scale treatment of mosquito nets. Bowls collect the excess liquid running down from a plastic sheet (design: S. Meek). To treat a single (rectangular) net To treat a single family-size (12.5m2) mosquito net made of nylon/polyester material at 0.5g/m2, mix 375ml of water with 25ml of permethrin 25% emulsifiable concentrate. Stir the mixture and pour it into a plastic bag. Put the net into the bag and seal it by tying or twisting. Shake and knead the bag vigorously for 10 minutes (see Fig. 1.74). Then remove the net and place it on the bag (cut open to make a sheet) to dry. To treat 20 nets To treat 20 standard family-size (12.5m2) mosquito nets made of nylon/ polyester material at 0.5g/m2, fill a plastic dustbin with 7.5 litres of water and 500ml of permethrin 25% emulsifiable concentrate.