EPA Approves Troy’s Kansai Paint Group’s Anti-mosquito Paint

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Kansai Paint Group, which has its American headquarters in Troy, today announced its anti-mosquito paint has been granted approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The interior-use paint contains a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide and has been shown to significantly reduce the presence of mosquitoes in painted areas.

Formulas for all base colors have been approved.

“Development of the Kansai anti-mosquito paint marks a major milestone, not only for our company but also for the worldwide effort in fighting the spread of infectious diseases,” says Hiroshi Ishino, president and CEO of Kansai Paint. “For generations, people all over the world have struggled with mosquito-borne illnesses and the effects they have on families and communities. Kansai is proud to be the first company in the world to develop a safe paint approved by the EPA that addresses this challenge in a creative and effective way.”

Kansai Paint Group began developing the paint in 2013 and submitted the application to the EPA in early 2017 after testing. The paint is the only anti-mosquito paint that is approved by the EPA. It is expected to be available in the U.S. by summer 2018, and has been approved in Uganda and Zambia.

Contact with the active ingredient in the paint disables mosquitos’ nervous systems. The active ingredient has not shown to be dangerous for people by physical contact or oral ingestion and does not alter the paint’s appearance.

“Our testing has showed that the Kansai anti-mosquito paint was able to exterminate on contact more than 90 percent of mosquitoes and is effective for at least two years,” says Kalpana Abe, vice president, president’s office, Kansai Paint Group. “It will deter various species of mosquitos, which can carry several viruses present in the U.S., including Zika and the West Nile.”

Production of the paint in the United States will be led by U.S. Paint, a subsidiary of the Kansai Paint Group, acquired in 2016.

Kansai Paint was established in 1918 in Osaka, Japan, and manufactures automotive, decorative, protective, and industrial coatings and finishes. It has manufacturing facilities in Africa, America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.