India has been on lockdown for more than 2 months now. The Prime Minister of India along with other state authorities have now issued notices to be ‘self-responsible’ and asked the citizens to take strict precautionary measures to fight the coronavirus.
Although the lockdown has been eased to stabilize the economy, the fear of getting infected has affected everyone’s life and people are taking every possible measure to protect themselves from the spread of the virus.
Since people are ready to go to any extent to prevent themselves from the virus attack; some business owners are looking at it as an opportunity to make money and are making a rash business move.
One such case is of a Chinese fogging machine that is used to produce smoke for large stages but is being sold in India as a coronavirus disinfecting machine.
Fogging Machine Is Dangerous and Cannot Kill Coronavirus
Several brochures and online advertisements are being circulated to people as the “Protection Against Coronavirus” shopping package.
It consists of a list of protective gear including face masks, hand gloves, eyeglasses, infrared thermometer, etc.
The list also includes the mention of a fogging machine that is being discreetly associated with killing or acting as a disinfecting machine for coronavirus.
One of the customers who was skeptical about the claim did research on the use of a fogging machine and its effectiveness in killing coronavirus. His study and conclusion are beyond shocking.
Supposedly people selling these fogging machines are misleading their customers as there is no scientific proof that such a machine can kill the virus.
On further research, it was alleged that the machine is being imported from China as a disinfecting machine to India under the “Fight Against Corona” section of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.
The machine that is normally used to create smoke during stage performances in theatre etc. is being sold in India as coronavirus disinfectant that generates smoke from the mixture of alcohol and glycerin (ISOPROPYL) which can potentially kill the virus, as per them.
Learning of the fraudulent way of making business, a man wrote an email to the customs authority of India and requested for strict action against them. The trail of the email is attached below for your reference.
As per this person’s research, not only is the machine ineffective in killing the virus but it can also cause fire easily, and thus, one should not be buying the same even for normal disinfecting purposes.
Also Read: In Pics: In Race For COVID-19 Cure, These Vaccines Have Reached Human Trials With Decent Success
Why Should You Not Buy This Fogging Machine, As Per This Individual’s Letter?
- It is ineffective
- It is not FDA approved.
- The liquid component which comes out is inflammable.
- It uses sanitizer and water which is not safe for spraying on or around humans.
- The machine works as a steamer which generates vapor by heating liquid and that vapor comes out of the nozzle at a high speed in the form of a fog.
- The temperature in fogging machines and its nozzle is set at 300 degrees which is a relatively high temperature for machines to operate indoors or cramped places.
- The real purpose of sanitization by a fogging machine gets lost due to such high temperatures.
The video attached below shows us the dangers of catching fire with the liquid used in the fogging machine.
The website says that they use alcohol-based disinfectant to sanitize your home. When researched about the same it was concluded that if we use an alcohol-based sanitizer with water or glycerine it is not a good idea.
According to scientific data, alcohol-based sanitizer should not be stored in temperature higher than 73-degree Celsius or it could be a fire hazard.
But since these fogging machines use high temperatures to convert vapor in fog, it is openly selling a hazard!
During these times, when people get sentimental and are ready to do anything that claims prevention from virus, it becomes easy to fall for such dirty business tactics.
It becomes crucial for us to do our background research so that such scams can be avoided.
On the other hand, fogging machines might be effective as a normal disinfectant for homes, cars, offices, parks, etc, and is harmless when bought for normal disinfection.
However, when it comes to disinfecting coronavirus then it is useless as proved above by this individual and his research.
Image credits: Google Images
Sources: Customs Department Official, NKY Tribune
Find the Blogger: @ZehraYameena
This post is tagged under: Chinese machines, fogging machines, smoke machines, disinfectant, catching fire, fire hazard, smoke, Customs, India importing, sale of disinfecting machines, fogging machines, scam, fraud, letter to customs department, alcohol based disinfecting machines, fog, smoke, heat, kill virus, disinfect surfaces, homes
Other Recommendations:
This COVID-19 Pandemic Has Created A New Line Of Business Of Designer Masks But Is It Sustainable?
People are stupid purchasing smoke and disco machines to Disinfect their places. You need to purchase sprayer or do liquid inflammable spraying through ULV or normal sprayer to Disinfect your places.