Fly-Tox Hand Sprayer, 1940-1950

01

Artifact Overview

The Toledo Rex Spray Company trademarked "Fly-Tox" in 1923. The Rex Company (later Rex Research Corporation) marketed Fly-Tox to kill common household pests. As the organochlorine Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) gained creditability after World War II as a less-toxic compound, Fly-Tox incorporated DDT. Widespread use of DDT and its documented negative effects on ecosystems led U.S. legislators to ban the chemical in 1972.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Hand sprayer

Date Made

1940-1950

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

2017.0.34.269

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Metal
Wood (Plant material)

Color

Red

Dimensions

Length: 13 in
Width: 3 in
Height: 4.5 in

Inscriptions

on barrel of sprayer: USE / GENUINE / FLY-TOX / ESTABLISHED / REX / 1896 / KILLS / FLYS BEDBUGS MOTHS ANTS / MOSQUITOS ROACHES FLEAS / MADE IN USA on each end of reservoir: FLY-TOX