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(KSL News) Playing in the school band can build musical skills, but it turns out those instruments can also breed disease.
Schools rent the same instruments year and after year, and although they are cleaned, they are not sterilized.
Lorenzo Lepore, M.D./ MaestroMD: "Bacteria will grow in the moist, dark environment inside the lumens of musical instruments. So sitting dormant for months sometimes will result in a surge of bacterial growth that sometimes can cause disease."
Scientists found bacteria that could cause meningitis or tuberculosis inside the instruments.
But a new service, called Maestro MD, will sterilize the instruments before they are rented to a new student.
A school in Massachusetts uses the service, and says it's worth the money to protect the health of their students.
Maestro MD charges between $50 and $80 per instrument, depending on the size.
You can find more information by following the link above.
