Permethrin

[MikeyC]

I was browsing different threads and saw various mentions of permethrin being applied to clothing, bedding and equipment, some of which were different to my understanding.
I thought it worthwhile to refer back to a data sheet from the US Environmental Protection Agency about permethrin which is a low risk* insecticide to human health when factory applied and used correctly.
Permethrin is approved for use on outer clothing (as well as tents, backpacks, etc...). The data sheet refers to factory treated clothing being labelled as "wash separately" so that permethrin in a wash does not transfer to underwear.
I extrapolate from this that while pilgrims treating their equipment and outer clothing is absolutely fine (and I include in this the outer side of a sleeping bag) I would hesitate about treating the inside and would certainly not treat a pillowcase, T shirt and the like. The "wash separately" requirement was also new to me or maybe I had just conveniently forgotten it.

https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/repellent-treated-clothing

* Although the EPA essentially says low risk, permethrin is not available in Canada although apparently this is now being revisited.

 

[MeandIan]

We went to enquire at a hiking place a few weeks ago and they absolutely advised against it for sleeping bags. As my chest close with some chemicals, we decided not to use it

 

[Wandershot]

I meant to use it and then forgot, to my great regret. I was eaten alive by bed bugs - I'm one of those people that the bugs like. I have since used it to spray the inside of my bag. That way if you pick up a few, they won't move in on you. My brother-in-law also recommends traveling with a dog flea collar which you can just attach to the bed post or leg- if the bugs are around, it discourages them from hanging out with you.

 

[RJM]

I'll be a broken record here, but the bedbug threat on the Camino is very low, and certainly not worth exposing your body to cancer causing chemicals over.
I know there are those that say it is worth the risk, but I say no.
Poison your bodies at your own risk.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I'll be a broken record here, but the bedbug threat on the Camino is very low, and certainly not worth exposing your body to cancer causing chemicals over.
I know there are those that say it is worth the risk, but I say no.
Poison your bodies at your own risk.

Actually, the threat is not that low during the high season, and it gets worse as the season progresses. Also, your body is perfectly capable of handling 6 weeks of mild exposure to permethrin that has been sprayed on the OUTSIDE of your sleeping bag and pack. You can bet those albergues are spraying regularly, so you're being exposed anyway. Once you've had a bedbug infestation, you might change your mind - I've seen people with welts the size of half-dollars have to go to hospital for the reaction. I am on disability for Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and have researched this topic at great length. Having said that, there are miles-long threads on this topic if a person does a search and as many opinions as there are pilgrims. If you are not reactive to pesticides, you may want to consider taking something like OFF or DEET and using it nightly.

 

[RJM]

Actually, the threat is not that low during the high season, and it gets worse as the season progresses. Also, your body is perfectly capable of handling 6 weeks of mild exposure to permethrin that has been sprayed on the OUTSIDE of your sleeping bag and pack. You can bet those albergues are spraying regularly, so you're being exposed anyway. Once you've had a bedbug infestation, you might change your mind - I've seen people with welts the size of half-dollars have to go to hospital for the reaction. I am on disability for Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and have researched this topic at great length. Having said that, there are miles-long threads on this topic if a person does a search and as many opinions as there are pilgrims. If you are not reactive to pesticides, you may want to consider taking something like OFF or DEET and using it nightly.

Whatever. I don't really care about any of that.
All I'm saying is that I cannot recommend or promote anybody exposing themselves to toxic, cancer causing chemicals. Especially when it involves a simple holiday walk across Spain.
If you want to? Go ahead. Soak yourself from head to toe. I don't care.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Whatever. I don't really care about any of that.
All I'm saying is that I cannot recommend or promote anybody exposing themselves to toxic, cancer causing chemicals. Especially when it involves a simple holiday walk across Spain.
If you want to? Go ahead. Soak yourself from head to toe. I don't care.

Oh my, what a friendly holiday walker! Ok.
Well, thanks for your recommendation!

 

[edandjoan]

This seems to come up every year..and there are those that like and others who don't. It is not required and wI don't know what they use in the albergues but they do use something.
Every year and some times twice a year we stray permethrin on our sleep sacks and outer side of our bags. We have not had any bed bugs. Perhaps we are just lucky.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

From Consumer Reports:

Shirts, pants, hats, and other clothing treated with the insecticide known as permethrin have been touted for 15 years as a way to prevent the tick bites that can lead to Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and more. But research hadn’t proved that permethrin-treated clothing items are actually effective tick-stoppers.
Tick-borne illnesses, especially Lyme disease, are on the rise and occurring in an increasingly wide area, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making it more important than ever to protect against tick bites.

Now, a new study by CDC researchers has found that just a minute or two of contact with permethrin-treated clothing caused ticks to become incapacitated or fall off fabric.
The research examined a variety of permethrin-treated clothing types and fabrics. It revealed that the items can be toxic to several species of ticks and at different stages in their life cycles, potentially keeping them from getting beneath clothing and staying next to skin long enough to bite.

While the CDC research sounds promising, it’s still unclear whether the permethrin-embedded apparel actually prevents bites, says James Dickerson, Ph.D., Consumer Reports’ chief scientific officer.

"The CDC’s study did not test any items while they were being worn, so it doesn’t show conclusively how well the clothes might keep ticks from biting you," Dickerson says.

Consumer Reports has tested the effectiveness of permethrin-treated clothing but only for its ability to stop the bites of mosquitoes, not ticks.

In our tests, permethrin-treated shirts from L.L.Bean and ExOfficio treated with 0.52 percent permethrin—the industry standard—did kill or incapacitate mosquitoes. But in some cases the mosquitoes were still able to bite wearers. (For more on this testing, see our report.)

Permethrin is sometimes referred to as a repellent—which keeps bugs from landing on you—but it functions as an insecticide, which means it poisons insects.

To determine whether permethrin-infused clothing actually stops tick bites, a larger study is needed in which people wear regular or treated clothing and go about their normal outdoor activities, says Eisen of the CDC. “We do not have that study yet,” he notes.

Still, "we know that permethrin-treated clothing is toxic to ticks," he says. "So we are assuming that if you are adequately covered by permethrin-treated clothing, there’s no reason it should not be protective.”

The Environmental Protection Agency says that the amount of permethrin allowed in treated clothing and other consumer products is safe. (It’s also in some insect sprays, which are meant to be used on clothing before you put it on, as well as in products like some head lice treatments.)

It is not recommended, however, that permethrin be sprayed directly on skin, and the EPA considers it a likely human carcinogen when ingested.

The CDC includes permethrin-treated clothing in its recommendations for preventing tick bites along with other measures, like those below.

Consumer Reports' experts are more cautious. Dickerson says that while there’s likely little harm in wearing permethrin-treated clothing, using a bug repellent, rather than an insecticide, should be your first line of defense.

“Repellent is the best way to ensure that bugs don’t have an opportunity to bite you,” he says.

Consumer Reports tests insect repellents each year for their effectiveness against mosquitoes. Our experts say that the repellents that work best against mosquitoes are also the ones that are likely to be most effective against ticks, too.

 

[JanetEllen]

I was browsing different threads and saw various mentions of permethrin being applied to clothing, bedding and equipment, some of which were different to my understanding.
I thought it worthwhile to refer back to a data sheet from the US Environmental Protection Agency about permethrin which is a low risk* insecticide to human health when factory applied and used correctly.
Permethrin is approved for use on outer clothing (as well as tents, backpacks, etc...). The data sheet refers to factory treated clothing being labelled as "wash separately" so that permethrin in a wash does not transfer to underwear.
I extrapolate from this that while pilgrims treating their equipment and outer clothing is absolutely fine (and I include in this the outer side of a sleeping bag) I would hesitate about treating the inside and would certainly not treat a pillowcase, T shirt and the like. The "wash separately" requirement was also new to me or maybe I had just conveniently forgotten it.

https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/repellent-treated-clothing

* Although the EPA essentially says low risk, permethrin is not available in Canada although apparently this is now being revisited.

I walked the Camino Frances in 2014 and was bitten by bedbugs. They were no more serious for me than mesquite bites, but really did sleeve me out. This fall, I'll be walking the Camino Portugese. This time, I will be treating the outside of my sleeping bag and my backpack with Permethrin. Beyond that, I'm not too concerned.

 

[JillGat]

I walked the Camino Frances in 2014 and was bitten by bedbugs. They were no more serious for me than mesquite bites, but really did sleeve me out. This fall, I'll be walking the Camino Portugese. This time, I will be treating the outside of my sleeping bag and my backpack with Permethrin. Beyond that, I'm not too concerned.

I see mixed results in studies about whether permethrin works against bed bugs. If you don't get bed bugs, it doesn't mean permethrin works; it might just mean you didn't encounter them. What I am waiting for is someone on this forum to say they sprayed their sleep sack with permethrin before the Camino and got bit by them anyway. Haven't seen that yet.

 

[C clearly]

What I am waiting for is someone on this forum to say they sprayed their sleep sack with permethrin before the Camino and got bit by them

I think I have seen such reports, but I didn't bookmark, and it would be hard to find. Besides, just one more anecdote with too many unknowns!

 

[trecile]

I see mixed results in studies about whether permethrin works against bed bugs. If you don't get bed bugs, it doesn't mean permethrin works; it might just mean you didn't encounter them. What I am waiting for is someone on this forum to say they sprayed their sleep sack with permethrin before the Camino and got bit by them anyway. Haven't seen that yet.

I sprayed my sleep sack with permethrin before my first Camino and I did get bites. Since permethrin doesn't repel bedbugs, or kill them immediately, it makes sense that one could get on you despite it and bite you before dying. I'm pretty sure that it was bedbug bites, because a bedbug was found on the bunk above mine, I saw another crawling on the wall, and I had the typical three bites in a row.