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By TR HARLAN Chesterton Athletic Trainer Bernie Stento has seen it before and is seeing it more and more often. Hopefully, that’s about to change. The Duneland School Corporation has become the first group in Indiana to purchase a Sports-O-Zone machine to take needed steps in protecting its student-athletes against bacteria especially MRSA. “We have the Sports-O-Zone machine to act as another tool with killing off bacteria that is in the clothes and equipment that our athletes are wearing,” Stento said. “It’s important because there is a gap in keeping things clean. Especially with student-athletes that may not be giving mom and dad things to launder or are going a long period of time without cleaning their equipment. “Now we have a tool onsite that can do some of that for them.” Sports-O-Zone, based in Elkhart, manufactured a machine that is becoming a solution to the problem of staph and MRSA in locker rooms from high school to professional sports franchises. The Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts, along with 10 other NFL teams, have also bought the machine. “Our Company’s main concern is the safety of student-athletes and Duneland School’s definitely shares that philosophy,” Mark Eades, Director of Sales at Sports-O-Zone said in a press release. “We know the ozone machine is very effective, almost 100 percent in killing off the viruses and bacteria that are present,” Stento said. “I think as we continue to go we’ll be able to use if for more things in the school, not just athletics. If we have a student catch it, we can take their books, clothes and anything else they have, put it in the machine and sanitize it. That should prevent it from spreading too.” After equipment is put into the machine, the process takes 14 minutes with air having an extra oxygen molecule added to it and being sent through the compartment with the equipment in it killing bacteria that may be present. The extra molecule is then taken away on the other end of the machine and the oxygen is sent out back into the air. “We’ve seen the problem grow,” Stento said. “It used to be in health care facilities for the most part, but now we are starting to see it more and more in athletic facilities and community areas. It is a problem.” Ozone is one of the strongest oxidants and disinfectants available, ranking ahead of hydrogen peroxide, bleach and iodine. “All of our coaches and trainers have been trained to use the machine,” Chesterton Athletic Director Garry Nallenweg said. “The process is simple and doesn’t harm the equipment or fabric at all. There really is no reason not to err on the side of caution.”
Posted 5/21/2008
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