Fly baits were applied by trained as well as untrained personnel and field sanitation teams. PM personnel interviews showed that the Army used fly baits containing azamethiphos as often as those containing methomyl. The Air Force apparently used methomyl almost exclusively. Fly bait exposures occurred both when the bait was applied and when servicemembers were in the vicinity of the applied baits. Personnel also used pest strips to control flies.
Pest strips are plastic strips impregnated with the active ingredient dichlorvos.
The military did not specifically authorize nor prohibit the use of fly baits or pest strips by untrained personnel. There is ample evidence that officials did not control fly baits and pest strips and that untrained personnel routinely handled both products. Approximately seven percent of servicemembers in the Gulf were exposed to dichlorvos pest strips hung in various indoor locations to control flying insects. Some personnel sprayed d-phenothrin in enclosed areas, such as tents, to kill flying insects. After DEET and permethrin repellents, d-phenothrin spray was the most requested insecticide from the military supply system in the Gulf.