SciTechDaily: Silk offers homemade solution for COVID-19

SciTechDaily highlighted a study by the University of Cincinnati that concluded that silk masks were better at preventing infection from COVID-19 than cotton or synthetic fibers.

UC assistant professor Patrick Guerra and postdoctoral researcher Adam Parlin found that in the absence of a single-use N95 respirator or a surgical mask, homemade masks made of silk were a good alternative. Silk face masks are comfortable, breathable and repel moisture, which is a desirable trait in fighting an airborne virus. 

Silkworms that eat mulberry leaves produce silk containing copper, which has natural virus-killing properties.

The study was published in the journal PLOS One.

“We’re trying to address this critical problem. Health care workers still don’t have enough personal protective equipment, namely N95 respirators or basic surgical masks,” Guerra said.

Read more about the research.

Featured image at top: UC tested face masks on styrofoam heads. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC Creative + Brand