PETALING JAYA: Kansai Coatings Malaysia Sdn Bhd has launched a mosquito repelling paint, said to be the first in Asean countries.

Called the ALES Anti-MosQ, the water-based interior paint uses synthetic pyrethroid insecticides to repel them.

Kansai Coatings Malaysia Sdn Bhd marketing manager William Chin said the slow-release insecticide could last for two years.

“When all the walls in the house are painted, there will be less landing areas for mosquitoes and they will tend to fly away from the house, thus reducing the amount of mosquitoes,” he said at the launch of the mosquito-repelling paint yesterday.

Chin said in a cone test, 60% of Aedes mosquitoes and 80% of Culex mosquitoes were repelled from the test panels coated with the ALES Anti-MosQ paint.

Culex mosquitoes serve as a vector for diseases such as filariasis and Japanese encephalitis, while Aedes mosquitoes bring about dengue fever and chikungunya fever.

“The new paint offers a luxurious finish and is stain-resistant, and is compliant with Sirim Ecolabel and Singapore Green Label certification,” he added.

Kansai Paint Co Ltd president Hiroshi Ishino said the breakthrough product would put Kansai Paint ahead of its competitors.

He said the company, established in 1918, had grown to be Japan’s largest manufacturer of decorative, automative, industrial, protective and marine coatings.

The Kansai Paint decorative paint segment, in which ALES Anti-MosQ is categorised under, had nearly a 3% market share in Malaysia, he said.