Why KINCHO is Committed to Pyrethroids: The Value of Not Leaving Insecticide Residue

Many of KINCHO's insecticides use "pyrethroid insecticidal ingredients" derived from pyrethrum flowers.
There is a reason why we are committed to pyrethrum and pyrethroids.
In addition to their high insecticidal efficacy and safety for humans and animals, pyrethroids have the characteristic of being rapidly broken down by light and air, making them unlikely to persist in the environment.
This property, which at first glance might seem like a drawback of "not lasting long," is the very value that KINCHO cherishes.

The Importance of Insecticidal Ingredients "Breaking Down"

Currently, the insecticides distributed in Japan have had their safety for humans thoroughly confirmed. Nevertheless, an environment where "ingredients that kill insects" exist is inherently an irregular state.
The ideal form of an insecticide is one that "works only when needed and disappears promptly once its role is finished."
This is what "pyrethrum" can achieve, and what the "pyrethroid insecticidal ingredients" developed with it as a model can do.

The pyrethroids used in many KINCHO products possess the features of "working effectively when needed," "breaking down once the role is finished," and "not persisting in the environment."
Use the minimum necessary amount of chemical against insects that have entered human living spaces, and return to the original state once extermination is complete. Use insect repellents only at entrances and exits to prevent insects from entering human living spaces.
KINCHO products, which are based on the concept of "using only what is needed, where it is needed, and when it is needed," are built on this philosophy.

The Value of "Not Remaining" as Shown by the History of Insecticides

In the past, the fact that pyrethroids are easily broken down by light and air was considered a "drawback."
However, following Rachel Carson's 1962 book "Silent Spring," the impact of insecticide persistence on ecosystems became a global issue. Insecticidal ingredients that were difficult to break down, such as the organochlorines and some organophosphates that were mainstream until then, became major problems due to their environmental persistence and bioaccumulation.
The properties of being "easily broken down" and "not remaining" were suddenly re-evaluated as important values. Consequently, pyrethroids derived from pyrethrum were re-evaluated and became the mainstream for household insecticides.
Today, the evaluation of environmental degradability is an essential item in the development of insecticides and pesticides.

Insecticides that do not break down easily and whose effects last for years after a single spray might seem convenient at first glance. However, that is the flip side of "being difficult to break down in the environment and having ingredients that persist for a long time."
The fact that insecticidal ingredients released into the environment do not break down and persist for a long time poses a major risk to the ecosystem that surrounds us. Furthermore, if for some reason you want to return to a state without insecticidal ingredients, it is not easy to completely remove ingredients that have been spread by spraying.
"Lasting a long time" is not necessarily a desirable property.

Realizing a Life Where Insects, Humans, and the Earth Can Coexist

KINCHO founder Eiichiro Ueyama walked alongside pyrethrum and laid the foundation for the current KINCHO. And even after the war, KINCHO has continued to advance the development of pyrethroids using pyrethrum as a model.
KINCHO is not aiming for the eradication or extinction of pests. What we are aiming for is a sustainable "life where insects, humans, and the Earth can coexist."
What is important for that is that insecticides do not have an excessive impact on the environment. And that they disappear promptly once their role is finished.
Insecticides are ultimately for dealing with the "irregular occurrence of pests."
Because they are ingredients that "work when needed and break down and disappear when no longer needed," KINCHO continues to be committed to pyrethroids.