Vector-borne -- No Problem.

Approximately fifteen years ago the US Army began investigating the possibility of applying some manner of insect repellent to the textiles used to produce its Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) in an attempt to ward off disease-and biological agent-carrying insects. The US Army Soldier Systems Center has reported that, after an eight-month evaluation involving over 350 soldiers wearing permethrin-treated BDUs, that dream has become a reality, and the uniforms are awaiting approval by the Army Uniform Board. Both the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Surgeon General had unconditionally approved permethrin for textile use years ago, but its active repellent properties were effective for only a short time. A long list of previous application methods included the Individual Dynamic Absorption Kit -- open bag, add chemical, drop-in uniform, shake, let dry -- and an industrial method that was later discontinued due to factory employees' unhealthy exposure to the concentrated chemical. The new method treats the uniforms in a machine already in the uniform fabrication process, which applies water repellent and fire retardant. Treating the BDUs in this manner is much safer and lasts for the life of the uniform.