The authors of a 2002 study published in "The New England Journal of Medicine" wrote, "Despite the substantial attention paid by the lay press every year to the safety of DEET, this repellent has been subjected to more scientific and toxicological scrutiny than any other repellent substance," continuing, "DEET has a remarkable safety profile after 40 years of use and nearly 8 billion human applications," concluding, "When applied with common sense, DEET-based repellents can be expected to provide a safe as well as long-lasting repellent effect."