Indian company launches UV sanitisation box to kill virus

Indian consumer appliance company, Orient Electric has launched a box-shaped sanitisation chamber at 160 US dollars that uses ultra-violet (UV-C) light to kill viruses including coronavirus, bacteria and fungi on the surfaces of everyday objects and groceries in four minutes.

The launch assumes significance as India ranks third after US and Brazil for confirmed cases of COVID-19 and on Thursday crossed one million mark of caseloads, reports Xinhua.

The spread of virus has mounted fear among people about bringing contamination inside their homes, offices through routine objects like mobiles, wallets, electronic gadgets, food items and currency.

Each box uses two UV-C lamps of 11 watts each that provides sufficient UV germicidal irradiation to ensure 360-degree surface disinfection and will kill over 99.9 per cent viruses and bacteria.

The product will be available on e-commerce portals Flipkart and Amazon, the company said in a statement on Friday.

"Covid-19 crisis has led to a significant shift in the consumer quest and preferences in India, leading to a spike in demand for health and hygiene products. This trend is likely to continue in future as maintaining highest hygiene standards will be part of the 'new normal' in the post Covid-19 era," said Rakesh Khanna, Managing Director and CEO of Orient Electric.

Orient Electric offers diverse consumer electrical solutions including fans, home appliances, lighting and switchgear and is part of CK Birla Group, an Indian business conglomerate.