Berger, IIT Guwahati develop surface disinfectant to fight Covid-19

Coating major Berger Paints, in collaboration with IIT Guwahati, developed an alcohol-free surface disinfectant which, they claimed, can stay active on a variety of surfaces for an extended period of hours, and fight off bacteria and COVID-like viruses.

The product, developed by a group of scientists led by Prof Biman B Mandal, was launched on Friday, an IIT Guwahati statement said.

Berger Paints said that the problem with alcohol-based surface disinfectants is that consumers have to sanitise surfaces again and again in a day and the company has tapped IIT Guwahati to bring a solution to that issue.

The product "is different from normal alcohol-based sanitiser as it stays active for an extended period of hours on the application surface. It forms a protective nano-silver coating which fights off bacteria and virus for a longer duration as validated by standard protocols," Prof Mandal said.

"IIT Guwahati has been instrumental in designing several projects in helping the society and the nation fight Covid. We feel that this product would make our everyday lives safer in this trying time and beyond," he added.

The company said that the product, being sold under the brand name, BreatheEasy Safe 24, gives assured 24-hour protection from a wide variety of bacteria and viruses including coronavirus with a single use and can be applied on a wide variety of hard and soft surfaces.

Berger Paints MD & CEO Abhijit Roy said, his company "has always been a front runner in innovating customer-centric products. Safe 24 is another testament to our core philosophy of innovation. With economic activities gradually picking up, there was an evolving demand for a product that can protect for a longer duration."

The product is currently available on Amazon, Flipkart and shop.bergerpaints.com.