Ozone to fight swine

If the Pune school where Reeda Shaikh contracted the H1N1 virus had gone in for ozone disinfection, the young girl could have been saved,
city-based Ozone Research & Applications (ORAIPL), claimed on Thursday. ORAIPL is one of the leading private companies into the ozone treatment applications. Its director Vishal Waindeskar was in Pune, meeting with National Institute of Virology's top brass Dr AK Mishra and Dr D S Mourya explaining how ozone was an effective antidote for several strains of bacteria and viruses, including Type A H1N1 responsible for the current global outbreak of swine flu. Talking to TOI, Waindeskar said in India there was little awareness of the uses of ozone in medical field.

"Ozone can be loosely described as a concentrated form of oxygen. It is produced by passing a stream of air through an electric arc or by passing air over a special ultra-violet lamp," explained Rajesh Admane of ORAIPL. "Using an ozone blast in school premises can kill bacteria and virus as it breaks through cell membrane of the bacteria and destroys virus by diffusing through protein coat into the nucleic acid core," he claimed. The company stressed that the ozone treatment is not a very costly and far more effective than chemical formaldehyde fumigation that leaves behind toxic residues.

"Similarly, ozone is a far superior disinfectant for swimming pools. Currently chlorine is used in the pools for cleaning and disinfection, but according to experts, chlorine causes irritation in nose, throat, and eyes of swimmers and affects respiratory system of children. Over time, it also damages the pool's concrete lining and plaster, ceramic and steel," said Adamne.

The company claimed Centre for Disease Control in the US has cleared use of ozone even in serious emergencies like bio-chemical weapon attacks. It also quoted a study by researchers at Mayo Clinic and Utah Valley State College published by the Journal of Virology Methods establishing ozone's efficacy in inactivating Type A H1N1 virus. However, a city general practitioner Dr Satish Muley said ozone application was yet to be tried and tested in Indian conditions.

It was too early to say anything about its qualities as effective disinfectant for hospitals and public places like schools, he cautioned.

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