SUMMARYThe aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the acaricide tri-n-butyl tin maleate, industrially applied to samples of carpets, mattress foam, and fabrics used for furniture upholstery, soft toys and shoe uppers. Approximately 100 adult house dust mites of the species Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were inoculated into a Petri dish containing the sample (a piece of carpet, mattress foam, or fabric), treated with the acaricide, randomly collected. Mite-maintenance culture medium was added on top of each sample. After one, two, three, seven and 30 days of incubation at 25 °C and 75% relative humidity, each dish was examined using a 40X stereoscopic microscope (40X). One hundred percent acaricide effectiveness was obtained in treated materials by the end of the 30 th -day postinoculation period, under optimal conditions for mite maintenance.

SUMMARYThe aim of the present study was to verify the activity of the Tri-N-Butyl Tin maleate compound against Staphylococcus aureus and Aspergillus niger, after its industrial application in 40 samples of carpets of different materials (polypropylene, polyester, polyamide and wool). The qualitative assays were performed through two methodologies: Inhibition Halo (HZ) and Inhibition of Surface (Print). The carpet with the product inhibited 100% of bacterial (Staphylococcus aureus) and fungi (Aspergillus niger) growth, under the conditions of this study. The microbial inhibition was higher in upper portion of carpets. The methodologies employed appear to be adequate to test the bactericide and fungicide activities of the Tri-N-Butyl Tin maleate. The print methodology confirmed the results obtained by the inhibition zone assay. Further studies using the same methodologies are needed to confirm our results.