Can mosquito rackets harm humans?

 

At some point in our lives, we all have been through deep thinking to keep the irritating mosquitoes away. Mosquito rackets are the cheaper option for many who think of it. However, it has its downsides that require our attention. This article throws light on the adverse effects of mosquito rackets.

 

Is it durable?

No, it is not.

1. The device stops working if it is hit on any hard substance or walls accidentally.
2. It stops working if water gets spilt on it.
3. The battery has to be charged properly- should be plugged in regular intervals.
4. While charging, the pin has to fit the socket correctly, or that causes internal damage.

Many things can go wrong. So, it is often thrown to the garbage and is not repaired. That is when the problem arises.

 

The components have a high percentage of lead:

The components of the mosquito rackets are analysed by Restriction of Hazardous Substances (is the acronym of RoHS) and found that Electric Mosquito Bats that are manufactured and transported from China has a large percentage of lead in them. The components which compose a high percentage Lead include wiring, mesh arrangement, printed boards.

 

There are about 2 lakh mosquito rackets imported from China and distributed throughout the country. They are still available in markets.

Children who are between 0- 10 years have the urge of chewing things that are not supposed to eat, especially when not under supervision. These components which have a high percentage of lead are highly harmful to the children and can affect their intellectual capabilities.

The federal agencies have issued a standard in this regard. It states that the percentage of lead to be used in any component should be under 1000ppm. However, the studies have found that lead concentration found in these components used in mosquito rackets ranges between 3000ppm – 82000ppm.

How can lead affect us?

1. Children are more vulnerable(say 4-5 times vulnerable) to the harmful effects of lead.
2. Studies show that there is an increased number of cases all over the world due to lead poisoning and cases of children with intellectual disabilities.
3. The mosquito rackets are thrown to garbage when stopped working and are burnt. Any material that contains lead when burnt emits smoke containing lead. This smoke is again very harmful and can cause irreversible and undesirable effects on the human body.
4. The Electric mosquito bats which are thrown to garbage get deep into the earth and leach the harmful component such as lead into it. This causes huge environmental pollution- pollutes underground water.

 

What do we learn from this article?

 

Mosquito rackets cannot be safe all the time; some negative impacts require our attention. Above all, it is not safe even for adults to use the products that contain high lead content.