HYDERABAD: The Center for Healthcare Entrepreneurship (CfHE) of the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H) has developed a respirator mask that has a better filtration rate than that of N95 for operating in hazardous environments. The mask — US9 — is supposedly the world’s cheapest protective mask. It comes with an air filtration rate of 98 per cent and bacterial filtration rate of 99.7 per cent and has been approved by the South India Textile Research Association.
“The reusability of the mask not only reduces the recurring cost, but also decreases the bio-waste generated due to protective masks,” said Principal Secretary to the government, Jayesh Ranjan, during the launch of the event.