Cotton Grower - Based on over two decades of cotton research in our laboratory, it is clear that cotton can find advanced applications such as toxic chemical decontamination wipes, oil absorbent and now in the war against COVID-19.
Research carried out by USDA researchers in the late 1960s reveals that cotton can contain virus spread. Although not carried out on the corona strain, this study showed that the virus did not persist on cotton cloth beyond 72 hours compared to another material studied. Our laboratory at Texas Tech University is currently working with multiple collaborators to develop improved masks, and some preliminary results show that masks with cotton-based material as the core absorbent material may offer some benefits.