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.)

Rocket science apart, there are simpler methods at work too. Religare Wellness Ltd has come out with a swine flu kit, at its pharmacies across 115 stores in the country. It consists of a hand sanitiser, a cold/flu tablet, a tie-on face mask, thermometer, surgical gloves and disinfectant wipes. Though the company claims the kit is being produced for community service rather than for cashing in on the virus scare, at Rs 235 per kit, that hardly seems the case.

Rahul Chadha, CEO, Religare Wellness Ltd, says: “We launched this in the third week of April. We came up with this idea when the virus was declared a pandemic. The maximum sale has been seen in Delhi.”

Recently, Dettol, a brand of Reckitt Benckiser, in association with the Indian Medical Association also came out with advertorials advising the general public to increase their levels of hygiene as a preventative measure.