Just what is it that makes hockey gear stink so much?
In a word, bacteria.
But it also helps that hockey players, for the most part, don't take care of their equipment as well as they should, providing a never-ending cornucopia upon which bacteria can feed.
According to cramscience.ca, a Canadian science initiative designed for youth -- and the only website that actually tries to demystify hockey gear stink -- the stench is caused by "microbe manure" produced when bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermis and Propionibacteria acnes feed on the salts, ammonia, and urea secreted by the body's sweat glands.
The bacteria survive and propagate in moist, warm conditions, including the body, which can then transfer them to sports equipment. If the gear isn't cleaned or dried properly, it becomes a breeding ground.
But hockey gear stink isn't the only problem bacteria create. They are also a health hazard. Every year, hockey players are temporarily knocked out of action because of infections from unclean equipment.
Last year, a young hockey player in Calgary lost his hand to an infection contracted from a seriously dirty glove.
In 2003, then-Boston Bruins star Joe Thornton was put on intravenous antibiotics after he fell and bruised his left elbow during practice and developed an infection a few days later. It was believed the infection came from bacteria in his elbow pad or from bacteria on his hand, which he transmitted by rubbing the bruise.
The year before, former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mikael Renberg nearly lost a hand as a result of a Streptococcus-A infection caused when he broke open a blister while lacing up.
The hand became so infected that the next day he developed a 104-degree fever and ended up in a Vancouver hospital, where doctors considered amputation because of fears the infection could spread and kill him.
In 2004, CanWest tested a reporter's recreational hockey equipment for bacteria as part of a story on how dangerous unclean sports equipment can be. The result: the lab found 188,650 living, reproducing bacteria on tiny samples from eight pieces of equipment.
There are several solutions. Drying out equipment is the first line of defence.
Jill Kenney, who is starting a new company called Gear Drop at the Burnaby 8-Rinks complex, says she lays out her clients' gear in a warehouse equipped with dehumidifiers, hepa filters and industrial fans. That helps neutralize the breeding ground for bacteria, as well as lessening the stink.
But she also recommends hockey players have their gear washed in a commercial sports equipment washing facility at the rink at least once a season. In the 2004 CanWest story, a testing laboratory found commercial washing dramatically reduced bacteria and also prolonged the life of the equipment.
Source: Vancouver Sun, 8/31/07
No comments:
Post a Comment