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The effects of laundering and time of exposure on the insecticidal activity of military uniform fabric impregnated with permethrin at 0.125 mg active ingredient (AI)/cm(2) are reported from susceptibility tests with laboratory-reared mosquitoes, Cuter pipiens, and sand flies, Phlebotomus papa tasi. Knockdown/mortality resulting from exposure of groups of female insects for periods of 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 min was recorded and compared among 5 different treatment/wash groups (untreated/unwashed, treated/unwashed, treated/1-wash, treated/2-wash, treated/3-wash). Laundering was by machine washing with detergent and warm water followed by hot-air machine drying. Post-exposure assessments at intervals from 0 to 60 min and at 24 h showed that knockdown for each exposure time and wash group was initially low but increased steadily during the first hour post-exposure. Sand flies were less sensitive than mosquitoes to knockdown during the first 60 min after contact with treated/unwashed fabric; however, 24-h mortality rates for sand flies were higher as compared with mosquitoes. The permethrin remaining after a 3rd wash had little knockdown effect on mosquitoes but was toxic to sand flies at each of the 5 exposure times. Significant reductions in the knockdown effectiveness of permethrin-treated fabric to mosquitoes and sand flies was associated with single and repeated washings of the fabric.