When a child comes home from school with a diagnosis of head lice, parents may want to do everything short of burning the house down to eliminate the pervasive, pesky insect as soon as possible. Plenty of treatment options and old wives tales exist to tackle the problem, yet few parents realize that some options pose more of a risk than a benefit to their children.
Head lice are tiny insects that camp out on the scalp and feed on human blood. They multiply rapidly, laying small eggs (known as nits) that stick to the hair shaft close to the scalp. Children are common victims for an infestation due to their close contact with other kids; though lice can’t fly, they are easily transferred through close contact like sharing a locker at school or wearing someone else’s hat or scarf.
Parents looking to quickly eradicate the infestation have traditionally turned to their doctor for a prescription of a shampoo containing lindane, a pesticide. Yet the chemical was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency for agricultural use, and is banned in 52 countries as well as the state of California. So why is it still acceptable to put on the heads of children in Minnesota?
Minnesota State Representative Karen Clark asked that same question during the most recent legislative session as she campaigned to have the state prohibit the use of lice treatment products that contain lindane. Clark, who has worked as a public health nurse, learned of the dangers of lindane through her work with the Women’s Environmental Institute. “I was given some information about lindane and it was just appalling,” says Clark. “This is a dangerous pesticide and we’re putting it on our children’s heads when there are good alternatives [available].”
The appalling information Clark learned about lindane included its neurotoxicity and reports received by the Food and Drug Administration about seizures and death resulting from its use. Children have been found especially susceptible to the pesticide, and serious side effects can result even when the shampoo is used as directed. With up to one million prescriptions for lindane shampoos written each year, Clark says it’s time the government reconsider the chemical’s use as a treatment for lice. “Most medical practitioners are unaware of what they’re doing when they prescribe this stuff,” says Clark. “Children are more vulnerable than adults, and putting a pesticide on their sweet little heads, near their brains, is nothing to take lightly.”
Unfortunately, while Clark’s bill to prohibit the use and sale of lindane treatments made it through the House, it was eliminated by the Senate — an action Clark says doesn’t deter her mission. “For me, this issue is still alive. I will reintroduce it again next year,” says Clark. “I think the more important thing right now is for people to call their senators so they will understand how important this problem is.”
Parents faced with an infestation have a variety of options to choose from instead of utilizing prescription shampoos containing pesticides.
Nit combing and nit picking
It’s exactly what you think it is: parents can purchase special nit combs (such as the LiceMeister Comb), which have teeth that are very close together. By slowly combing through sections of hair, this process allows parents to remove both lice and nits from the scalp.
Olive oil
Many web sites recommend coating the head in a thick agent (yogurt and mayonnaise have also been mentioned) that will suffocate the bugs while also loosening the tight hold nits have on the hair shaft. Combining this with combing can also be beneficial. HeadLiceInfo.com calls this method the “olive oil protocol.”
Bug Busting
A British study completed in 2005 found that Bug Busting (fine-combing wet hair) was more effective than pharmacy-purchased chemical treatments. The cure rate for the children who used the Bug Busting method was 56 percent, while just 13 percent of the children who used a chemical solution had success.
Shaving the head
Girls may put their foot down, but for boys, total hair removal (shaving down to the scalp, not simply a buzz cut) can be a quick and less annoying option, especially for children who don’t want to sit still long enough for other treatments to take effect.
