Question from L. L.
I’ve been seeing advertisements for Raid®’s new Earth Options insecticides. The label says the active ingredients are plant-based, but are they really safe to use?
Debra’s Answer
I contacted the manufacturer, S. C. Johnson and Sons, for the Material Safety Data Sheets for these products. They faxed them to me, along with a letter stating that they could only be used “for the purpose of safety and health evaluations by your company” and “any other use is expressly prohibited.” So I can’t tell you what the MSDS sheets say, but you can ask for your own copy, if you want to.
So I went to my local supermarket to see what it said on the label. All of the same active ingredients were listed–there was nothing on the MSDS that wasn’t on the label.
The active ingredients are eugenol and 2-phenethyl propionate. Eugenol is more commonly known as clove oil and gives the product it’s natural clove scent. It is used in many food flavorings and perfumes as well as in industrial applications. 2-phenethyl propionate is a synthetic flavoring agent made from coal tar that is on the FDA list of additives that are permitted to be added to food for human consumption.
These active ingredients are commonly used in other eco-friendly insecticide products. The critical difference between R
