Swiss hygiene company Livinguard, with operations  in India, as well as Germany, USA, Singapore, Japan, and South Africa, has come up with a revolutionary and first of its kind face mask, that can directly inactivate bacteria and viruses, including 99.9% of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

While most masks available across counters or open markets are preventive in nature, Livinguard face masks are protective and prevent bacteria and viruses from spreading, benefiting both self and others in close proximity. The globally patented technology was invented by Sanjeev Swamy, an entrepreneur of Indian origin, who also heads the company.

Researchers from the Free University of Berlin at the Institute for Animal Hygiene and Environmental Health have been able to demonstrate that textiles treated with Livinguard Technology can reduce very high amounts of SARS-CoV-2 particles by more than 99.9% within a few hours.

“The textiles in these masks can thus continuously inactivate the exhaled viruses and can make handling these masks even safer overall,” says Professor Uwe Rösler. The masks were launched on Wednesday in India through a virtual press conference where the founder joined from their Swiss headquarters.

Sanjeev Swamy, Founder, Inventor & CEO, Livinguard Technologies said, “The World Health Organisation estimates 89 million medical masks will be required every month throughout the pandemic. Providing superior quality of daily life has always been our aim. Our mission is to provide hygiene suited for the modern world, hence the reason that we chose to conduct our tests at the FU Berlin, who is renowned for their highest standards; and we are honored to be able to introduce Livinguard masks in India. With the number of cases rising in the country daily, it has become crucial to find an answer to the problem."

He further added, “Livinguard’s current focus is to apply this Technology to solutions that lessen the health risk and economic impact of the crisis by enabling people to protect themselves, return to work, and take back their lives. Since our product is washable and reusable, and mostly made from cotton, the mask is eco-friendly and sustainable. Our research shows that if a million people use one reusable Livinguard mask 210 times, we can save 36,000 tonnes of waste. It is also cheaper than a regular mask because one will need 210 masks to compare with one of ours.”

One of the most respected science leaders of India, Raghunath Mashelkar, said “This scientific breakthrough of deactivating SARS-COV-2 virus on contact with the mask, authenticated fully by world’s top universities, is a global game changer.”