According to a recent webinar presented by AATCC and featuring researchers from North Carolina State University, almost half the world's population is at risk from mosquito-borne diseases. So far, that does not include the U.S., but that could change as the climate crisis escalates.

In this informative webinar, Dr. Andre West, Associate Professor, Department of Textiles and Apparel Technology and Management, Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University, and Dr. Mike Roe, the William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor in the Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, also at North Carolina State University, share their research results with regard to alternatives to existing textiles with insect-repellent characteristics.

Dr. West noted that, currently, embedding chemicals into fabric is the most common way to repel mosquitos, who are the biggest killers on the planet. Mosquitos are responsible for the deaths of more than 725,000 people annually. Lions, tigers, bears, oh, my! They don’t even figure in, and it’s more deaths than other predators like humans (yes, we are predators!), snakes, sharks, dogs, etc. He was quick to point out that he is not anti-chemical; that chemicals have their place. But the team wanted to find other alternatives. Chemicals embedded in fabric, for example, can be washed out in the laundry, mitigating their effectiveness.