RE: [Harp-L] Re: Strep throat and harps

[John Neff <soulchicken@xxxxxxxx>]

It took scientists years to figure this out? Lol, all they had to do was open up an old pre-war Marine Band from Ebay to find lots of green and black mold. I get 'em like that all the time. The best thing is to have harps that can be taken apart and cleaned regularly, including Marine Bands adapted with machine screws. Clean the reed plates and covers in the sink with some purple KABOOM!, rinse and dry and with sealed combs, just wash them in dish soap like all your dishes and dry. Then reassemble. Works great.
 
> Date: Tue, 31 May 2011 09:05:21 -0500
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Re: Strep throat and harps
> From: debseifriedwind@xxxxxxxxx
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> 
> This is a very relevant article that appeared in The New York Times last
> week:
> The Claim: Playing a Wind Instrument Causes Respiratory Infection By ANAHAD
> O’CONNOR<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/anahad_oconnor/index.html?inline=nyt-per>
> Published:
> May 23, 2011
> 
> *THE FACTS*
> Related
> 
> For years, scientists have noticed that people who play wind instruments
> seem to be at greater risk of chronic sore throats and airway inflammation.
> Some research suggested that saliva and microorganisms might build up in the
> mouthpieces, then get blown deeper into the instruments.
> 
> But until recently, scientists did not know whether the germs could breed
> and survive long enough to sicken someone playing the instrument a day or
> two later.
> 
> In a study published this month in The International Journal of
> Environmental Health Research, Tufts University scientists tested 20
> instruments — flutes, clarinets, trumpets and saxophones. All were found to
> harbor living bacteria, mold and yeast, some of which survived for several
> days when cultured. Wooden reeds and mouthpieces had the most contamination.
> 
> 
> While researchers have not looked specifically at infection rates in
> musicians, there have been numerous case reports of lung problems linked to
> instruments. One published in the journal Chest last year described a
> 35-year-old trombone player who had suffered a bad cough for 15 years; it
> went away after he started disinfecting the instrument with rubbing alcohol.
> In another, also published in Chest, a 67-year-old saxophonist with shortness
> of breath<http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/symptoms/breathing-difficulty/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier>saw
> the problem disappear after he made a habit of washing his mouthpiece.
> 
> Experts say that in addition to regularly cleaning mouthpieces, musicians
> should routinely disassemble and clean wind instruments with soap and water
> or alcohol wipes, especially if it’s shared.
> 
> *THE BOTTOM LINE*
> 
> Certain instruments can raise the risk of infections if not routinely
> cleaned.
> 
> *ANAHAD O’CONNOR*
> 
> scitimes@xxxxxxxxxxx
> 
> 
> On Tue, May 31, 2011 at 3:27 AM, Damien Masterson
> <dzm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:
> 
> >
> > ...Clean it and disinfect it regularly....
> >
> > ...It's one of the few instruments out there that requires us to suck the
> > contents of the instrument (and the immediate environment) directly into our
> > throats and lungs.
> >
> Indeed!