Alumni, professors and students of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, in collaboration with Nanoclean Global Private Ltd, have designed a nano-respiratory filter to protect users from air pollutants, including PM 2.5 particles, and reduce risk of respiratory diseases.
The product, called Nasofilter, is meant to protect users from air pollutants, costs Rs 10 and will be up for sale from Tuesday online, reported The Indian Express.
The device might provide some relief to people living in Delhi and its bordering states where the air quality has crossed the severe level in the past two months.
On Monday, air pollution in the national capital stood on the brink of emergency level amid dense fog, even as Delhi'ites ventured out in large numbers to mark the first day of the new year.
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The day's average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 400, classified as 'very poor' by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). On Sunday, too, the AQI has stood at 'very poor' level (398).
An AQI between 0-50 is considered 'Good', 51-100 'Satisfactory', 101-200 'Moderate', 201-300 'Poor', 301-400 'Very Poor', and 401-500 'Severe'.
The Indian Express reported that the product received the “Startup National Award” 2017 by former President Pranab Mukherjee, and also made it to the South Korean government’s list of “Top 50 technical startups in the world”.
“These filters stick to the user’s nasal orifice and restrict foreign particulate matter from entering the body. It is a use-and-throw biodegradable product, which is highly efficient in restricting particulate matter, and at the same time gives very little pressure drop, which makes it unique… The cost of the product is low, hence it can be used by the masses,” Prateek Sharma, chief executive officer of Nanoclean Global Private Ltd, the company which was incubated at IIT-Delhi to produce the filters told the newspaper.
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One filter can be used for around eight hours.
Sharma grew up watching his mother suffer from asthma. He would procure the best masks available for her to keep the pollutants out but most of the masks were uncomfortable to wear. In 2015, when he was in the final year of civil engineering at IIT-Delhi, he thought of building a prototype for filtering pollutants - more importantly, the objective was to ensure his mother had access to a device that was effective and easy to use, reported The Economic Times.
“From Tuesday, the filters will be available on our website nasofilters.com. After a few days, we will make them available on all recognised e-commerce websites, and finally in retail shops. We hope to start physical sale in January. It would come in box of 10 nasofilters initially. Subsequently, we will also introduce a box of 30,” Sharma told The Indian Express.
(With PTI inputs)
