DRDO comes up with radio-decontamination wipe

Bangalore, Nov 5: Indian scientists have come up with a first-of-its-kind

wipe that can be used by persons who are exposed to radiation to clean themselves.

The wipe removes more than 95 per cent of the contamination, said scientists of Defence Research and Development Organisation. One disposable wipe, 5 cm long and 5 cm wide, costs just Rs 10.

A scientist working at the DRDO Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) in Delhi said that cleaning the body parts which were exposed to contaminants with soap and water might be enough but sometimes the water is contaminated too.

The decontamination wipe is of great help in such a scenario but it must be used immediately after the contaminants are released into the atmosphere, he stressed.

INMAS scientists spent nearly Rs 5,00,000 on the project and have sought patent for the 'radio-decontamination wipes'. They would like the National Disaster Response Force and the police to use the wipes in places where radioactivity levels have gone up due to an accident.

The scientists feel the wipes should be stocked at Metro stations as terrorists have targeted subway systems in some countries.

During the skin safety tests done under the Drug and Cosmetics Act 1940, it was found that the radio-decontamination wipe does not lead to any skin toxicity. According to those who used the wipe, it is very effective. No one complained of skin irritation after using the wipe.

The results of the efficacy and skin safety studies conducted by INMAS were published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics in Sept.

The wipes are available in a small pack. Once a person has used a wipe, he or she can put it in a sealed disposal bag that is supplied with the pack of wipes. The disposal bag has a zipper. When the person closes the zip, he or she ensures that the contaminants will remain in the bag.

OneIndia News