Coronavirus: Now IIT-Roorkee researchers develop hand sanitiser

NEW DELHI: In a bid to minimize the transmission risk of COVID-19 and promote basic hygiene, two students at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have developed a herbal hand sanitizer.

The two students – Siddharth Sharma and Vaibhav Jain – at IIT Roorkee have prepared more than 150 litres, or 1,500 bottles, of the herbal hand sanitizer.

IIT Roorkee is the latest to join the list of institutes developing their own hand sanitizers. Amidst their shortage in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, institutes like IIT Hyderabad, IIT Delhi, IIT BHU have developed their own hand sanitizers in line with World Health Organization (WHO) standards.

It is made of 80% isopropanol/ ethanol and comprises of antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory herbal ingredients. It also works as a moisturizer.

The product has been developed in line with recommendations of the World Health Organization and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It will be distributed free of cost at the IIT Roorkee campus.

International health bodies like the World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested washing hands or using hand sanitisers with at least 60% alcohol in them to safeguard against a coronavirus infection.

Earlier, two female researchers from IIT Hyderabad had developed a hand sanitizer. They had conveyed that it is to extend help during the ongoing health crisis and not gain from it commercially.

Since the coronavirus outbreak, the demand for hand sanitizers across the world had skyrocketed leading to shortages and hoarding and surge in prices.

However, the Centre has declared that face masks and hand sanitisers as essential commodities and has fixed the prices of these items. The price of a 200 ml bottle of hand sanitiser will not exceed Rs 100. "Under the Essential Commodities Act, the prices of fabric used two-ply and three-ply surgical masks will remain the same as it was on February 12, while the retail prices of three-ply masks will be at Rs 8 per mask and not exceed Rs 10," Paswan, the Cabinet Minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution, told The Economic Times . He had posted this on social media:

हैंड सेनिटाइजर की 200 ML बोतल की खुदरा कीमत 100 रु. से अधिक नहीं होगी। अन्य आकार की बोतलों की कीमत भी इसी अनुपात में रहेंगी। ये कीमतें 30 जून 2020 तक पूरे देश में लागू रहेंगी। 3/3 @drharshvardhan @narendramodi #IndiaFightsCorona

— Ram Vilas Paswan (@irvpaswan) March 20, 2020 -serif;">

Also Read:

• Coronavirus: IIT Hyderabad researchers make their own hand sanitizer
• IIT Delhi researchers develop low-cost test kits for COVID-19

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