Koch

NIAT develops equipment to sanitise personal belongings

The germicidal chambers developed by the Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology in Kochi.  

The Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology (NIAT), under the Southern Naval Command (SNC) here, has designed and fabricated low-cost “germicidal chambers” for arresting the likelihood of secondary mode of transmission through contaminated surfaces used by COVID-19 infected personnel. The chambers have been customised for sanitising personal baggage, office files, personal protective items (masks, gloves, helmets) and electronic items (phones, laptops, chargers) by inactivating micro-organisms such as bacteria, virus, moulds, and other pathogens.

The Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) is a disinfection method that uses the short wavelength ultra violet (UV-C) light to kill or inactivate micro-organisms by destroying their nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA. The optimal wavelength for disinfection is in the range of 190-280 nm (UV-C). The required dosage of UV-C was formulated using in-house resources based on the study conducted by the Institute of Virology, Germany, said a press release in this regard.

The customised multi-purpose germicidal chamber has the peculiarity of adjusting the exposure time (operating time) from 10 seconds to 40 minutes with auto cut-off system and has an inbuilt safety mechanism to prevent untoward exposure of UV-C rays. The design has incorporated in-built safety features to avoid direct exposure of UV-C rays during the process of sanitisation.

It was subjected to multiple sanitisation tests at the microbiology lab in INHS Sanjivani to prove its effectiveness and has successfully sterilised colony of e-coli bacteria, strain of bacterial swabs and has disinfected urine samples.

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