Coronavirus: Mumbai Naval Dockyard Develops UV Disinfection System For Decontaminating Coveralls, Clothes And Masks

As India prepares for a ''new normal'' amid COVID-19 pandemic, the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai has developed an ultra-violet sanitisation bay to meet the requirements of workers resuming work post-lockdown, an official said on Friday (29 May).

The UV bay will be utilized for decontamination of coveralls, clothes, masks, personal gadgets, tools, and other miscellaneous items, to control the spread of Covid-19.

After lockdown is lifted, large production organisations like dockyards or other naval establishments expect a sizeable number of workers to return to work, with the figures gradually increasing, and the UV bay would cater to that requirement.

The challenge was to convert a large common room into a UV bay by fabricating aluminium sheets electrical arrangements for the UV-C lighting.

The facility uses the UV-C light source for Germicidal Irradiation towards sterilizing items, said an official.

Studies by reputed research agencies have proved the effect of the UV-C light on respiratory pathogens like SARS, influenza, etc.

It has been observed that the microbial pathogens become significantly less viable when exposed to the UV-C of intensity 1J/cm square for one minute or more, indicating effective sterilisation.

A similar facility has also come up at the Naval Station Karanja (Raigad) where besides the UV-C sterilizer, an industrial oven has also been placed which heats up smaller sized belongings to 60 C, a temperature known to kill most microbes.

The facility is placed at the entry/exit points where it will help in mitigating the Covid-19 transmission, the officials said.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)