Advice on use of anti-mosquito products in face of dengue outbreak
The Consumer Council has drawn public awareness to the use of two types of anti-mosquito products in defence against the threat of dengue fever.
Consumers are urged to take preventive action against mosquito bites - with mosquito repellents and pesticides which are considered effective amongst the array of such products and devices in the marketplace.
In a comprehensive report in this (October) issue of CHOICE, the Council has surveyed, for the choice of consumers, 13 samples of mosquito repellents for use mostly on exposed parts of the body while outdoors, and 17 samples mosquito pesticides comprising 4 burning and 13 electric vaporizer types.
The active ingredients found in mosquito repellents are: DEET (labelled also variously as N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, Diethyltoluamide, N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide and N,N-diethyl-toluamide) and Citronella oil. Repellents come in forms of stick, lotion, pump spray, aerosol and sticker.
According to the Annals of Internal Medicine, a high concentration of DEET is not needed for casual use. Repellents with 10% to 35% DEET will provide adequate protection against mosquitoes under most conditions.
Repellents with over 50% DEET concentration are probably reserved for circumstances in which mosquito biting pressures are intense, and in which environmental conditions such as high temperature and humidity may promote rapid loss of repellent from the skin surface.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and Health Canada have recommended that repellents used on children should contain no more than 10%DEET.
Consumers are advised to follow the usage instructions of these products paying attention to such factors as wash-off from sweat or rain, higher temperatures or a windy environment which all contribute to decrease the effectiveness of the repellent. Re-apply the repellent if and when necessary.
Repellents which use Citronella oil as the active ingredient, has a distinctive odour which some people may find it too strong for their preference.
Research reports have indicated that Citronella oil provides shorter complete protection time than most DEET-based products. According to Health Canada, Citronella insect repellent liquids should not be used on children under 2 years of age.
Of the 13 mosquito repellent samples, 2 are stickers with the active ingredients embodied in an adhesive patch. The stickers are to be applied on clothes and not directly onto the skin.
With regard to mosquito pesticides, the active ingredients found in these products are: d-Allethrin, Esbiothrin, Prallethrin and Transfluthrin, all of which belong to the human-made synthetic pesticidePyrethroid.
Test reports from the Australian Consumers' Association and the Belgium Consumers Association have shown both the burning and electric vaporizer types with the active ingredient Pyrethroid to be effective in killing mosquitoes.
Consumers should always read and follow label instructions to ensure that the mosquito pesticide products can be used safely and effectively.
The Consumer Council stressed that while the use of mosquito repellents and pesticides is effective against mosquito bites, the best way to prevent dengue fever is to take positive measures against mosquito breeding and the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.
The public is urged to follow the Government's anti-mosquito campaign and in particular, to eliminate pockets of stagnant water that serve as mosquito breeding sites at home, schools, workplaces and their vicinity and to take all precautionary measures at all times.
Potential pitfalls in credit card instalment plans
Is buying on credit card instalment plans a gimmick too good to be true?
It's interest free, and credit cardholders simply repay by equal monthly instalments spread over usually a period of a year or two.
Under a new plan by some credit cards, cardholders can now transfer virtually any of their purchases for payment by instalment as it is no longer restricted to any designated merchant network. And the minimum transaction amount needs not be high, it can be as low as $200 or none.
The Consumer Council has surveyed the market of credit cards offering non-designated merchant instalment plans, and has revealed some conditions which may not be immediately transparent to the consumers at the time of the transaction:
- The instalment plans may be interest free but they are far from without extra cost to the consumers. The card issuers impose what is called handling charge of up to 0.75% of the loan amount per month. To find out the actual credit cost of these plans, the monthly handling fees were converted into Annualized Percentage Rate (APR) by using Net Present Value formula. The result: though still cheaper by the prevailing interest rate on credit card debt, the APR can be as high as 18% per annum. Card issuers occasionally promote offers which will waive the levy of handling charges. Cardholders may wish to take advantage of such offers.
- In the event cardholders should fail to make punctual payment (of all the outstanding balance in your monthly credit card statement), the instalment amount is subject, in addition to the handling charge, to the levy of interest and/or late charge. The APR for credit card debt typically ranges from 26.8% to 34.4%.
- Should the cardholders decide to terminate the instalment plan prior to expiry, an early redemption charge (either a fixed amount of $120 to $500 or the aggregate handling charge of the remaining instalments) becomes payable. Considering the charge and the time value of money, early repayment raises the credit cost to levels unfavourable to the cardholders.
- On the other hand, should the card issuers decide to terminate the contract when the credit worthiness of cardholders is considered at risk, the issuers, in two cases in the survey, stated in their terms and conditions that the company reserves the right to impose an early repayment charge on cardholders. The Council considers that the withdrawal of credit requiring full repayment of all outstanding credit card balances, already exerts enormous financial hardship on the cardholders. Card issuers therefore should not impose any early repayment charge if the contract is not terminated at the cardholder's will.
- Cardholders should also be prepared for the eventuality that their instalment plans may not be approved by the card issuers - after they have already made the purchase. So it is always prudent to check with the card centres before the transaction.
New labelling proposal to regulate sale of chilled meat
The Consumer Council has proposed the introduction of clear product labelling to help consumers differentiate chilled or fresh meat or poultry at the point of sale.
Under the proposal, retailing outlets will be required to provide clear indications on the type of meat or poultry, whether it is frozen, chilled or fresh.
This requirement will be introduced through licensing of the operators.
Furthermore, of equal importance is the disclosure of information on the place of slaughter - i.e. in the mainland or Hong Kong.
The accuracy of "place of slaughter" information can come under scrutiny of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance which makes it an offence for a person who in the course of trade or business applies a false trade description to any goods.
In addition, all information should be clearly on display on the shelves at the points of sale for the attention and information of consumers.
The Council is of the view that without clear product labelling, it is difficult, if not at all impossible, for consumers to clearly differentiate frozen thawed, chilled and freshly slaughtered chickens or pork.
Traders are urged to voluntarily adopt such labelling practice as it will produce a beneficial "brandname effect" over time enhancing consumers' confidence in their products.
The Council supports the Government requirement for mainland chilled chicken to be labelled with a security hologram.
It welcomes the assurance from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department that it will enhance inspection of stalls/shops selling live chickens and enhance collection of intelligence to combat against any breaches of the licensing requirements/tenancy conditions regarding storage and display of chilled chickens.
Caution on presence of VOCs in air fresheners
Air fresheners come in a myriad of fragrances to satisfy every whim and fancy. But they share one thing in common potentially undesirable to the human health.
To enhance consumer awareness of this concern, the Consumer Council has sought the views of relevant authorities on the impact of air fresheners to human and environmental health.
Commercial air fresheners are known to usually contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that will be released when in use.
Long-term exposure to VOCs, according to the Environmental Protection Department, may cause both acute and chronic health effects.
It is also pointed out that as many of the VOCs could be addictive, they can result in depression of the central nervous system. In sufficient quantities, VOCs can cause eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorder, and other impairments.
Though existing knowledge of the toxicological effects of VOCs and their mixture is still incomplete, consumers are advised to be prudent in minimizing exposure to these chemicals.
The Environmental Protection Department recommends that the first priority should always be to ensure good ventilation, and to deal with the odorous or polluting sources whether by frequent drying and cleaning off mold, removing rotting food or other materials, etc.
If really necessary, consumers should follow the manufacturers' direction on the use of air fresheners.
Consumers should avoid using air fresheners in spray form which use LPG as the propellant, in confined area where electrical appliances and cooking stoves are in operation.
Also, VOCs could react, under the sun, with nitrogen oxides in the air and produce ozone. Ozone could lead to photochemical smog which is an environmental problem.
Latest comparative test results on 34 digital cameras
Digital photography is more environmentally friendly. Gone is the need for the pictures taken to be chemically processed and developed for viewing.
This is where digital cameras can play a role in this development.
The Consumer Council, in conjunction with the International Consumer Research and Testing in Europe, has tested this product since 2000. In this current issue of CHOICE was published the fourth in the series on digital cameras.
A total of 34 digital models - from a modest sample size of only 8 models in 2000 - were included in this test, 2 of them digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) cameras.
Digital cameras use no film. Instead they use different kinds of data storage media for storing digital images such as: Compact Flash, Smartmedia, Multimedia Card, Secure Digital or Memory Stick, etc.
The output resolution of the models ranges from 2 to 6 million pixels (abbreviation for picture elements) which is suitable for amateur to professional users (usually the higher the pixels the better the picture details).
In the test, the actual maximum output resolution, not including the interpolation (enlargement) was assessed and the results compared for reference of consumers. Manufacturers, on the other hand, list the CCD (Charge Coupled Devices or image sensor) resolution and/or the effective resolution.
The test showed that all samples produced at least satisfactory overall picture quality. Most samples also had good flash performance.
Significant differences were found among the samples in terms of versatility and ease of use. Generally, digital cameras had slight problems of shutter delay.
Most of the models are also capable of taking short movie, but consumers should take heed that digital cameras are not designed to replace the functions of a camcorder because of poorer performance and limitations.
Chairing the press conference today (October 15) on the publication of CHOICE issue number 312 is Mr. Larry KWOK Lam-kwong, Chairman of Publicity and Community Relations Committee of the Consumer Council.