Aircon to fight bird flu
2006-02-15 14:47
Seoul - South Korean firm LG Electronics
is poised to start marketing an air conditioner with a filter
made using an enzyme from the pungent national dish kimchi that
is aimed at protecting against the bird flu virus.
Kimchi, typically made from pickled radish or cabbage
packed with garlic, ginger and hot peppers, is renowned for its
supposed health benefits - as well as its powerful odour.
"We developed the filter with the aim of protecting people
against bird flu," LG spokesperson Park Se-won said by
telephone, citing four studies from domestic and overseas
institutions that she said showed the filter eliminated the
deadly H5N1 virus.
Over the years, kimchi has frequently been billed,
particularly in Korean culture, as a miracle food with an
amazing array of health benefits. During the Sars crisis in
2003, many Koreans believed eating kimchi helped ward off the
disease.
Researchers in South Korea have been testing whether an
extract from kimchi can be used as an additive to chicken feed
to prevent bird flu, although there has been little scientific
evidence to support the claim.
LG, which is the world's largest manufacturer of air
conditioners, intends to start marketing the air conditioners
in China and Southeast Asia soon.
She said appliances would not transmit the unmistakeable
kimchi smell through rooms.
"Since the filters are made with only the enzyme extracted
from kimchi, the smell doesn't follow."
The H5N1 avian flu virus has killed 91 people since late
2003, the majority of them in Asia. Though the virus remains
hard for people to catch, scientists say it is steadily
mutating and could acquire the ability to pass easily between
people, triggering a pandemic.