With the swine flu epidemic showing no signs of slowing down, a few companies are raking in the moolah in the wake of the panic created by the spread of the virus. In keeping with the daily doses of advertisements featuring disinfectants and floor cleaners promising to keep us healthy, companies are now offering products ranging from systems to “purify” the air we breathe to swine-flu kits to ward off the virus.

Greatwhite Technology, a Mumbai-based company, has introduced AiroCide, a Photocatalytic Enconditioning System, which, it claims, kills airborne micro organisms and keeps air pure. Dharmessh Keswani, director, Greatwhite, says, “It was developed by NASA for space shuttles to keep air free of bacteria and viruses. It consists of a chamber where air is taken in and exposed to glass silicates that are coated with a proprietary solution and a base mix. When it is exposed to a light in the machine, it forms radicals that are surface-bound and kill the virus. This is all in the chamber. There are no harmful bio-products. Air gets in, is purified and goes out.”

AiroCide has already found a place at the Mumbai International Airport, INS Viraat and INS Brahmaputra. Greatwhite is also looking at supplying to a few hospitals in Mumbai. The smallest unit costs around Rs 1 lakh. “This unit will clean air for around 500 sq feet,” says Keswani. “For larger areas the price goes up. We used units that cover 4,000 sq metres too.”

The company is looking at giving a presentation to the Health Ministry next week. Keswani hopes that trains and other public places in the country will also use AiroCide. “The equipment uses very little electricity, as it was built to work in space. We are currently importing it from the US and assembling it here,” he says. Greatwhite has brought the rights to application in India and also has a US FDA certification (for a medical device.)

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