‘Chinese’ Mosquito Coil denied registration due to cancer risk

The Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control (PTCCB) Board has recently denied the registration of “Zenden Mosquito Coil” due to the product’s risk of causing cancer, the Ministry of Agriculture said.

This denial prohibits import, distribution, sale and use of the mosquito coil in Guyana.

A recent registration submission for the “Zenden Mosquito Coil” reveal the product to be a Class 1A carcinogen, the Ministry noted in a statement issued Saturday.

This means that the product is “known to cause cancer in humans”. The product also has potential to cause germ cell mutation in humans. It is also classified as a highly hazardous pesticide (HHP) and poses significant risk to human health and the environment.

This particular brand of mosquito coil however is widely smuggled into the local market.

According to the Ministry, “the illegally imported Chinese mosquito coils have been an area of focus for the authority for quite some time”.

It explained that the PTCCB has spent years confiscating and disposing of these illegal “Chinese mosquito coils” through numerous enforcement exercises.

Mosquito coil is widely known as an efficient mosquito repellent. When a mosquito coil is burned, the insecticides evaporate with the smoke, which prevents the mosquito from entering the room.

The PTCCB began confiscating illegal mosquito coils in 2008 and to date has confiscated 4.4 tonnes of these products; approximately, 778.80kg of those confiscated was Zenden Mosquito Coil.

The PTCCB said it is committed to continue these enforcement activities targeting importers, distributers and retailers of these illegal mosquito coils.

“This is in keeping with the PTCCB’s mandate to eliminate the importation, sale and use of illegal pesticides while reducing the availability of these unwanted products,” the Ministry noted.

The Ministry is advising customers that safe brands of mosquito coils are: Fish, Protox, Baygon, Raid, Vape and BOP.