Page 43 - COVID_19_June_4_2020

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EFFORTS ON COVID-19
BY
DEFENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION (DRDO)
DRDO-NPOL develops UV-based Baggage Disinfector
Naval Physical and Oceanographic
Laboratory (NPOL), Kochi, has
developed a facility for disinfecting
passenger baggage and installed it
at Cochin International Airport Ltd
(CIAL). The facility consists of two
cubic enclosures fixed on to the
existing airside conveyors at CIAL,
with a configuration of UV lights so
placed as to illuminate the volume
to the maximum. The UV circuitry
was established by NPOL as per
the required dosage, intensity and
exposure, while ensuring sufficient
protection of the baggage handling
personnel. It is being ensured that the baggage gets disinfected even before it reaches the Customs area.
Website link:
https://drdo.gov.in/sites/default/files/whats_new_document/NPOL-UV_baggage_disinfector_at_airport.pdf https://drdo.gov.in/whats-new/npol-developed-uv-baggage-disinfector-cial
Shoe and Driveway Sanitizer
Shoes have high potential of spreading virus from one place to another. In COVID wards 65% of shoes are found to be infected by Coronavirus. Similarly, car tyres also get potentially highly infective.
Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS), Delhi has innovated a solution to prevent the spread of coronavirus through shoes and car tyres.This solution is kept on PVC mat with threading to retain the moisture. Artificial grass is the second choice. Rubber and Coir mats are however not suitable.
A 150 ppm sodium hypochlorite gel is used as the disinfectant which has advantages of enhanced stability, better moisture retention and non-chlorine composition. This leaves minimum footprint which can be wiped off easily. For cars, 200 ppm solution can be used. Continuing bacteriology tests have shown 2-log scale kill effect and it is safer to handle compared to alternative solutions.
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