Pune: New handwash and disinfectant developed for edible items

“The handwash is composed of a nanomaterial having antiviral properties and is mixed with an herbal aromatic ingredient. Since it does not contain toxic ingredients, it is safer for use than commercially available variants,” said Ravindra Chaudhari of Shri Shiv Chhatrapati College, Junnar, one of the members of the project.

The handwash solution is water-based. “It is biologically compatible which makes it safe for the environment,” said senior scientist Dinesh Amalnerkar, former director general, Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (CMET).

Since the coronavirus outbreak, many public places have seen regular rounds of disinfects getting sprayed. However, the World Health Organisation recently warned against the excessive spraying of disinfectants at all places and surfaces. It also cautioned against possible reactions to human skin, among other hazards to humans, from such regular exposure, concluding that the disinfectants were incapable of killing coronavirus.

“Use of such chemical-based disinfectants cannot be done for raw vegetables or meat, which will instead get contaminated,” said Amalnerkar.

The Pune scientists claimed that their disinfectant solution was non-ecotoxic and so, it is can be used to cleanse edible items.

“The silver and copper nanomaterials have been embedded in silk fibres, which make them non-ecologically toxic in nature,” added Chaudhari.