Volcanic-glass spray effective in killing malaria-carrying mosquitoes: Study

Team Udayavani, Jun 8, 2020, 11:00 AM IST

According to a recent study, a spray made from perlite, a type of volcanic glass, showed effective control of malaria-carrying mosquitoes

Scientists from North Carolina State University and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine recently trialed a product known as Imergard WP. Manufactured by California-based company Imerys Filtration Minerals, a spray made up mainly of water and powdered perlite.

The volcanic glass material used in this new intervention is perlite, an industrial mineral most frequently used in building materials and in gardens as a soil additive.

The tests were conducted on four groups of huts in the West African Republic of Benin. The walls of one group were sprayed with Imergard, the walls of another were sprayed with a commonly-used insecticide (pyrethroid), and the walls of a third were sprayed with a combination of the two. The fourth group was not being sprayed at all.

The results found that the walls treated with Imegard, whether used alone or in combination with insecticides, killed the largest number of malaria-carrying Gambian mosquitoes. But six months after use, the mosquito death rate on the walls of only Imegard was still as high as 78%.

It is said that pearl rock particles act as a force attached to insects, destroying the protective lipid layer on its outer cortex.

Also, the spray is non-toxic to mammals, inexpensive, and mosquitos  don’t develop a resistance to it