Sudbury man on the bacteria warpath

BY SCOTT HADDOW

Ron Foschia doesn't usually stick his nose into someone else's well-used hockey equipment and take a deep breath.

On this day, he makes an eager and easy exception.

Foschia plows his sniffer deep into an elbow pad, which just 16 minutes earlier was totally "unbearable" to even go near, and takes a long, deep whiff.

A wide smile erupts on his face rather than a disgusted look.

"See...the smell is completely gone and this equipment is clean," Foschia said.

The hockey equipment has just emerged from Foschia's Sani Sport cleaning machine, which is designed to safely and effectively sanitize all makes of sports equipment.

The Sani Sport system doesn't use any chemicals or water to clean the equipment. Instead, Sani Sport uses two infrared lights to create ozone which blows through the equipment by fans to kill smelly bacteria. The ozone cycle runs for 12 minutes and is followed by a four-minute cycle which treats the equipment with tea tree oil to prevent bacteria from coming back. At the end of the 16-minute cycle, the equipment is clean, sanitized and ready for game use once again immediately. Since Sani Sport doesn't use water, there's no drying time. Since Sani Sport doesn't use chemicals, equipment stays pristine and useful instead of wearing down and becoming non-effective.

Foschia has opened Northern Sani Sport in Val Caron with the hopes of making all sports equipment, and whatever else can fit into his machine, clean and safe for everyone.

"The system is environmentally safe and highly effective," Foschia said. "A lot of people associate cleaning with water and it doesn't have to be. Sani Sport reduces up to 97 percent of bacteria and fungi in equipment. There's no chemicals or water, so it doesn't break down equipment, which is good for the next person who uses it."

Foschia isn't in the equipment cleaning business to get rich. If it happens, he would be happy with the outcome.

Foschia is more concerned with ensuring people, kids especially, have safe equipment to use.

"I'm not in this to make a dime," Foschia said. "People have to realize the bacteria can hurt or even kill their kids. The hardest part is educating people to have the equipment cleaned on a regular basis and not just once a year. It's different for every person. If you can't handle the smell of the equipment, it needs to be cleaned."

Foschia comes by his safety awareness honestly. He was a union scaffolder for nearly 20 years and dealt with health and safety issues every time he put on his work harness to go hundreds of feet up in the air.

His knees took a severe beating over the years forcing him out of the trades industry and looking for employment.

Foschia came cross the Sani Sport system a few years ago when he and his son were at a hockey tournament in Alberta.

"I noticed...every time he put his equipment on he would get sick," Foschia said. "I used the machine in Jasper and he didn't get sick. I kept it in my mind and weighed the pros and cons of the Sani Sport systems and decided to go for it and open my own business here in Sudbury."

Northern Sani Sport can clean anything as long as it fits inside the machine.

"I can clean equipment from fire and police departments...any sports such as football, soccer baseball whatever," Foschia said. "Snow machine suits and helmets. That's why this machine is so great. Many people can benefit from it.

I'm also mobile so I can go to small communities and clean equipment on the go."

Sani Sport is used by 25 NHL teams as well as 10 NFL teams.

Individual equipment pricing is $30 for a player and $50 for goalies. There are team rates and specials. Anyone looking for more information can phone Foschia at 897-7050 or check out his website at www.northernsanisport.ca .