Environmental impacts on effectiveness of permethrin-treated clothing used by foresters to prevent mosquito bites

Outdoor workers such as foresters face occupational health hazards such as mosquito and tick bites that could result in allergic reactions and/or vector borne disease. In North Carolina (NC), mosquitoes are known to transmit pathogens that cause Eastern equine encephalitis, La Crosse encephalitis, and West Nile encephalitis. Consequently, the primary objective of this study is to develop actionable prevention/intervention strategies aimed at mitigating exposure of foresters to biological hazards. The following specific aims will be pursued: 1) Understand the impact of environmental conditions on mosquito knockdown by permethrin-treated clothing, and 2) Assess the extent to which environmental exposure impacts the concentration of the active ingredient in permethrin-treated clothing. Our hypothesis for Aim 1 is that environmental interactions impact mosquito knockdown effectiveness of permethrin-treated clothing over time. Our hypothesis for Aim 2 is that environmental interactions impact the permethrin content in permethrin-treated clothing over time. This approach will provide practical information on the efficacy of this personal protective equipment on biological hazard exposure prevention or reduction for outdoor workers such as foresters.

Scholars @ ECU