The air pollution in Delhi is12.2 times above the WHO's safe level which is harmful. A research team at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi have recently developed a respiratory filter to counter the air pollution. The researchers claimed that this filter not only restricts entry of up to 95 per cent dust and air pollutants but is also the 'cheapest' naso filter available in the market. This respiratory filter is named as Nasofilter which cost only Rs 10.
The filter can stick to user's nasal orifice easily without any hassle. This filter would restrict entry of foreign particulate matter including PM2.5 particles, bacteria and pollen allergens. It also gives protection against the finest particulate pollutants in the air for at least eight hours and hence reduces risk of respiratory diseases.
The team included IIT Delhi faculty members Manjeet Jassal and Ashwini K Agrawal besides institute alumni Sanjeev Jain, Prateek Sharma, Tushar Vyas and a student Jatin Kewlani. The team of innovators was recently awarded with the National Startups Award by President Pranab Mukherjee.
IIT Delhi faculty member Ashwini K Agrawal said that to protect the health of millions, the team has developed an incredible filter technology to save people from the harmful effect of air pollution especially keeping in mind PM2.5 concentration.
One of the IIT-D professors explained that the project involved assembling millions of small-sized pores to create a thin flexible membrane, which could capture very small particles with high efficiency.
This allows filters to be used for long hours while maintaining good breathability and comfort. The filters aim to provide relief to common users from air pollution and to protect people, who are prone to allergies, and safeguard those, who are exposed to job related industrial particulate pollutants."
This is also probably the cheapest naso-filter in comparison to the face masks and other alternatives available in the market to fight critical levels of air pollution.