Chilean company Grupo Avance says it has discovered an innovative formula that acts as a repellent of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, carrier of the Zika virus, dengue fever and other diseases. This formula consists of several surprising ingredients, like graphene, copper powder and lactone.
The company claims that washing clothes at home with this Zika-repellent detergent is enough to avoid getting bitten by the mosquito. The inventor says this is a "bioadditive" that, when mixed with normal detergent, provides protective clothing for people who live in or travel to areas affected by the carrier mosquito.
According to Grupo Avance, lactone is a natural, non-toxic insecticide; graphene turns the mosquito away, and copper powder acts an excellent antibacterial substance. If confirmed scientifically, this discovery could be of immense value in preventing the spread of Zika in countries like Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil, the latter country a place where hydrocephalic babies have been born of mothers infected by the disease.
The Grupo Avance laboratory, located in the industrial area on Santiago's north side, bears little resemblance to an important research complex, and its scientists don't even wear gloves or safety glasses. Representatives say that this is because the more than 20 products prepared by its work team and distributed by the company "are innocuous for humans."