Characterization of Chemical By-Products Released During Combustion of Commercially Available Metofluthrin-Treated Mosquito Coils
Abstract
The practice of burning mosquito coils has been around for nearly one hundred years, with its primary purpose to repel nuisance insects and prevent vector borne disease transmission. Globally, billions of mosquito coils are burned each year to control mosquitoes due to their effectiveness and inexpensive cost. Since their inception, mosquito coils have commonly contained naturally derived pyrethrin or synthetically formed pyrethroid insecticides as the active ingredient. However, the active ingredient represents only a small portion of the mosquito coils total composition. The remainder of the coils weight is comprised of dyes, fragrance and fillers, such as wood dust or coconut flour. Recently published field data also suggests that even untreated (blank) mosquito coils possess the ability to repel mosquitoes. This research consisted of attempting to characterize the various airborne chemical components generated from combusting these coils, in addition to metofluthrin. Blank mosquito coils were also characterized to determine if any variances existed in the coil contents when compared to treated coils. Samples in this study were collected by burning mosquito coils within a non-air tight cylindrical combustion chamber contained within a laboratory chemical fume hood. Sample collection was conducted by using multiple types of solid phase microextraction (SPME) fibers with subsequent analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) instrumentation to identify the various gas phase compounds generated during combustion of the coils. This study identified the release of 72 chemical compound by-products in addition to the active pyrethroid ingredient, which included aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, fatty acids, and aldehydes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 14, 2014
- Accession Number
- AD1127747
Entities
People
- William T. Eickmeyer
Organizations
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences