Can Deet be washed off tomatoes?

The temperatures dropped here and we brought the tomatoes onto the garage floor on the vine.

Days later there were a large amount of gnats hovering around the tomatoes.

Without asking me about it, my DH sprayed them with mosquito repellent which contained Deet.
Are they safe to eat if washed in soapy water? Do I need to peel the skin off? Or should I throw all of them out?

If I have to throw them out, can I divorce my husband?

This message was edited Sep 20, 2014 11:45 PM

Googling brings up many links about Deet, and here's one from the government which is supported by others that says do NOT use on foods.

http://www2.epa.gov/insect-repellents/deet

It wouldn't say that if it hadn't been shown that Deet can be absorbed into fruits and vegetables,so taking off the skins on tomatoes is something I wouldn't do.

Carolyn

Thanks, Carolyn.

I'm not happy to throw out all those tomatoes but that is nasty stuff. Deet makes me break out,
just spraying it on my skin.

Arlene

No DEET has not been determined to be food safe.

DEET




DEET (chemical name, N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) is the active ingredient in many insect repellent products. It is widely used to repel biting pests such as mosquitoes and ticks. Every year, an estimated one-third of the U.S. population use DEET to protect them from mosquito-borne illnesses like West Nile Virus or malaria and tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Products containing DEET currently are available to the public in a variety of liquids, lotions, sprays, and impregnated materials (e.g., towelettes, roll on). Formulations registered for direct application to human skin contain from 4 to 100% DEET. Except for a few veterinary uses, DEET is registered for use by consumers, and it is not used on food.

DEET is designed for direct application to people’s skin to repel insects. Rather than killing them, DEET works by making it hard for these biting bugs to smell us. After it was developed by the U.S. Army in 1946, DEET was registered for use by the general public in 1957. Approximately 120 products containing DEET are currently registered with EPA by about 30 different companies.

Thanks, all!

The stuff made them krinkle up and we threw them out but kept the husband.

What happens when the husband krinkles up?

He already krinkled up but I kept him.

Haha.

who gives a deet ?

I kept the husband but he is in trouble again this year.

He was supposed to put the tomato cages on and stake them.

NOT

So he had to sort it out to stake them when the vines were 5 feet long. (think he learned his lesson).

A witty retort escapes me. He must be good at something(s)? Maybe not having an overabundance of tomatoes to deal with, like I'm facing, is just cause.

I'd love to have your challenge. Here in Iowa it was very hot and rained a lot. So we have lots of tomatoes. Then we had a
cool week and that slowed down the ripening.

Today is Aug 4th and I've only picked one tomato-Black Krim, and it was delicious.

As long as we don't get an early frost or freeze they will keep ripening through Sept and Oct can be iffy.