SNC develops germicidal chamber to check spread of virus through contaminated surfaces

KOCHI: In yet another initiative by the Southern Naval Command (SNC) to fight the spread of COVID-19, a germicidal chamber, aimed at killing the virus present of contaminated surfaces, was developed by the Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology (NIAT), Kochi. The low-cost device has been designed and fabricated for arresting the likelihood of secondary mode of transmission through contaminated surfaces used by COVID-19 infected personnel.

The chambers have been customized for sanitizing personal baggage, office files, personal protective items (masks, gloves, helmets) and electronic items (phones, laptops, chargers) by inactivating microorganisms such as bacteria, virus, molds and other pathogens.


The technique used is Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI), which is a disinfection method that uses short wavelength ultraviolet (UV-C) light to kill or inactivate microorganisms by destroying nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA. The optimal wavelength for disinfection is in range of 190-280 nm (UV-C). The required dosage of UV-C was formulated using in-house resources based on the study conducted by Institute of Virology, Germany.

The customized multi purpose germicidal chamber has the peculiarity of adjusting the exposure time (operating time) from 10 seconds to 40 minutes with auto cut-off system and has an inbuilt safety mechanism to prevent untoward exposure of UV-C rays. The design has incorporated inbuilt safety features to avoid direct exposure of UV-C rays during the process of sanitization.

“The germicidal chamber was subjected to multiple sanitization tests at the microbiology lab in INHS Sanjivani to prove its effectiveness and has successfully sterilized colony of E-coli bacteria, strain of bacterial swabs and has disinfected urine samples. These multipurpose chambers cost around Rs 25,000-30,000, which is the one-tenth of the cost of commercially available units and can serve as an effective tool against contamination / infection from secondary mode of transmission,” said a statement from SNC.