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Product name: Permethrin factory treated clothing was approved for U.S. DoD use in 1990, and civilian use in 2003. 
Application: May kill biting insects on contact, and repel blood-sucking insects and arthropods (effects may depend on concentration of permethrin). Date of EPA approval: Permethrin was registered for use by the general public in 1977 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Four impregnation methods for DoD use have been EPA-registered. EPA has focused on environmental safety of pesticides rather than product efficacy. Type of product: Permethrin, first synthesized in 1972 by M. Elliott in the United Kingdom, is a synthetic pyrethroid based on natural pyrethrum derived from the crushed and dried flowers of daisies and chrysanthemums. Target microorganism/associated disease: Major vector-borne diseases (i.e., diseases transmitted by arthropods including insects and ticks) of mission-degrading potential to the U.S. military include malaria, dengue, leishmaniasis, Rift Valley fever virus, and various rickettsial diseases. These diseases are common in tropical and subtropical locations around the world, and no relevant licensed preventive vaccines are available. Reasons for Development: Repellents applied to clothing significantly reduced the incidence of scrub typhus among troops in the Pacific Theatre in 1944, but early compounds were problematic in terms of skin irritation, odor, dissolving plastics and lack of durability. DoD has played a significant role in testing the efficacy of permethrin products. Role of Department of Defense in product development: In 1977, permethrin products were first marketed, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture commenced investigations of permethrin treatment of clothing for DoD. The DoD began using and evaluating permethrin for clothing treatments in 1979. In a 3-day field evaluation at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 21 subjects participated in studies which revealed that permethrin-treated clothing showing protected against chigger mites. Pressurized sprays of commercially available permethrin (0.5%) or DEET (20% or 30% concentrations) applied to military field uniforms were evaluated as protectants against bites from the tick Ixodes dammini at Great Island, West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, USA (where lyme disease and babesiosis are ongoing problems) in May 1984. A one-minute application of permethrin to the exterior surface of pants and jackets provided 100% protection against attack by all life stages of the tick, whereas application of DEET provided much less protection. Field evaluations in Harford County, Maryland in the summer of 1988 revealed similar results in terms of protecting service members from bites of local ticks. Investigations involving US Army Natick laboratories showed that long-lasting permethrin clothing impregnations can be achieved in an industrial dye bath process with both polyester-cotton and nylon-cotton uniform fabrics. Current status: Although useful as a topical treatment for head lice and scabies, permethrin is ineffective as an insecticide when applied to the skin because the compound does not bond to the skin and is quickly deactivated by skin's esterase actions. Permethrin is effective as an insecticide when used as a clothing or bed net treatment. (Currently, only pyrethroid-treated insecticides are approved for application to bednets, and sleeping under such pyrethroid-treated bednets is an important lifesaving tool in preventing malaria in both military and civilian populations residing in malarious areas.) Unlike DEET, which can harm some fabrics and plastics, permethrin is an odorless, water-based and ultimately biodegradeable compound with low mammalian toxicity which will not damage plastics and is harmless to natural and synthetic fabrics, even silk, and is somewhat resistant to degradation by sunlight (ultraviolet light). Permethrin's insecticide effect can last 2-6 weeks despite weekly launderings but is promptly removed by dry cleaning . A cumulative "herd effect" has been noted when a large group of personnel wearing permethrin-treated uniforms is congregated. Service members are directed to wear both permethrin-treated clothing and topical DEET applied to the skin when entering regions where vector-borne diseases exist. References: Bwire R. Bugs in armor: a tale of malaria and soldiering. San Jose: iUniverse.com, Inc., 2001, pp. 67-81. Dickens TH. Vector control as a force multiplier. Defense 90. Sept/Oct 25-35, 1990. Elliott, M, et al. NRDC 143, a more stable pyrethroid. Proceedings of the 7th British Insecticide and Fungicide Conference (Brighton)2:721-8, 1973. Feller LJ, Griffin TB. Permethrin Exposure -- Discussion and information. Study No. CIC 0449. Submitted to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1989. Feller LJ, Griffin TB. Permethrin Assessment: Exposure Discussion and Information-- Efficacy Discussion and Information. Study No. CIC 0720. Submitted to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1990. Gupta RK, Rutledge LC, Reifenrath WG, Gutierrez GA, Korte DW Jr. Resistance of permethrin to weathering in fabrics treated for protection against mosquitoes (Diptera:Culicidae). J Med Entomol 1990; 27:494-500 Gupta RK, Sweeney AW, Rutlege LC, Cooper RD, Frances SP, Westrom DR. Effectiveness of controlled release personal-use arthropod repellents and permethrin-impregnated clothing in the field. J Am Mosq Control Assoc 1987;3:556-560 Hossain MI,Curtis CF. Assays of permethrin-impregnated fabrics and bioassays with mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 1989; 79(2):299-308. Lillie TH, Schreck CE, Rahe AJ. Effectiveness of personal protection against mosquitoes in Alaska. J Med Entomol 1988; 25(6):475-8. McNally BF. Treatment of U.S. Army battle dress uniforms with permethrin. The First International Symposium on the Impact of Pesticides, Industrial and Consumer Chemicals on the Near Environment. 1988. National Research Council, Committee on Toxicology. Health Effects of permethrin-impregnated army battle-dress uniforms. National Academy Press, 1994. Schreck, CF; Mount, GA; and Carlson, DA. Pressurized sprays of permethrin on clothing for personal protection against the lone star tick (Acari: Ixodidae). 1982. Journal of Economic Entomology 75(6):1059-1061. Shapiro, JJ. The malaria problem today. Journal of the American Medical Association 132 (1946):623-7. U.S. Army. Permethrin exposure criteria. Memorandum from COL Lyman W. Roberts. Office of the Surgeon General, 1993. U.S. Army. Final report to U. S. Army Medical Research and Development Command for field and laboratory testing of a clothing impregnant and extended duration controlled release repellent formulations as personal protection against biting arthropods of military importance. 1986. U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command Final Report (U.S. Army-MISC) 31pp. U.S. War Department. Impregnation of clothing with insect repellent (dimethyl phthalate). Washington, DC:USWD:1944. TB MED 121. Young GD, Evans S. Safety and efficacy of DEET and permethrin in the prevention of arthropod attack. Military Medicine 163(5):324-330, 1998. |
| Extended Duration Insect Repellant | SS-LP Bednets | Premethrin Insecticide |
