A Canadian scientist has helped develop an insecticide -- based on plant essential oils -- that kills bugs but doesn't harm humans.
"EcoSmart is a new type of natural insecticide based on what we call plant-essential oils," Murray Isman, an entomologist and toxicologist at UBC, told CTV'sCanada AM on Tuesday.
"These are the same types of oil used in flavouring foods -- things like peppermint oil and thyme oil -- and used by people for aromatherapy."
Isman said the chemicals in the oils kill insects by interfering with their nervous systems.
"Because the neurochemistry between the insects and humans is different ... we can have a product that works on insects but is safe around humans and pets."
The discovery was accidentally made by a worker in Florida who was spraying client's homes with traditional pesticides.
Because customers complained of the smell, the man decided to lace the pesticides with commercial fragrance oils. The EcoSmart products were developed when the oils ended up being more effective at killing the insects.
At first, EcoSmart was meant only for the home as a way to kill cockroaches, flies, wasps and fleas.
But the company soon saw potential for the product in restaurants and hospitals -- places where human health is the major concern but where pest control is also an issue.
"Nothing's absolutely safe but certainly, compared to all the conventional pesticides out there, this is one of the safest to handle," said Isman.
The product will soon be available at Wal-Mart in the U.S. but is yet to be approved for use in Canada.
