By Betsy Scheinbart
As spring finally arrives in the city, New Yorkers are getting first-crack at a new kind of water with eight times as much oxygen as the average stuff.
Oxygen 8, which has been in development for about a year and a half, is now distributed through Elmhurst Dairy and Steuben Foods in Jamaica to almost 200 offices in homes in the five boroughs.
According to the company, studies have shown Oxygen 8 brings more oxygen into the blood stream, helping to boost energy and expedite the healing process in the body.
“Drinking our highly oxygenated water replenishes the body’s water supply while providing the body with eight times more oxygen, substantially boosting energy and healing levels,” said Henry Schwartz, the president and chief executive officer of Oxygen 8, Elmhurst Dairy and Steuben Foods.
The non-carbonated water is recommended for athletes and currently used by the New York Jets football team, said Dennis Crowley, the vice president of Oxygen 8.
“We feel if you drink this water, you will want to drink more water,” Crowley said. “Most think it tastes lighter and crisper.”
Schwartz got the idea for Oxygen 8 while at a water convention in Florida. He tasted some super-oxygenated water there and decided he could improve upon the concept.
Crowley said it is generally known that if you pressurize water at cold temperatures, you can add more oxygen to it, but Schwartz took that concept and added a package that would pack even more oxygen in.
“Our coolers only dispense cold water,” Schwartz said, “because heating Oxygen 8 dissipates its super-oxygenated content and therefore its ability to increase energy and healing levels in the body.”
Oxygen 8 is stored and delivered in three-gallon and five-gallon, specially-sealed glass bottles and dispensed through patented coolers that can be leased or purchased for both home and office use.
“Glass is the only type of container that can be reused and adequately resterilized to ensure a germ-free container,” said Schwartz. “Health-conscious consumers realize this is an added benefit since most spring waters on the market today come in plastic bottles, which are not as sterile as glass containers,” he said.
In addition to the patented coolers, the company was recently awarded a patent for its caps, which prevent oxygen from escaping, Crowley said.
Like most water coolers, the Oxygen 8 coolers fill with air as the water is drained, but these special coolers fill with super-oxygenated air, Crowley said.
While average air is about 20 percent oxygen, Oxygen 8 water is replaced with air that is 90 percent oxygen, keeping the water just as super-oxygenated as when the cooler is full of liquid.
While the company is still in the first stage of distributing the water, Crowley said it is looking to expand to vending machines that could ultimately be located at public places like airports.
There are no plans yet, however, to distribute the bottles for individual sale in stores.
The product is being tested on New Yorkers, but also in Mt. Vernon Hospital’s hyperbolic labs where research has shown some health benefits from the water, Crowley said.
For more information about this product, call 1-800-OXYGEN8.
Reach reporter Betsy Scheinbart by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300 Ext. 138.
