Dear Smile E.
Is it safe to clean my airways clearance devices with water straight from the facet?
Signed,
Water Worries
Dear Water Worries,
When cleaning your airway devices including nebulizer cups, clean water is recommended. Just what exactly clean water is is often misinterpreted by the masses. Nontuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) experts have starting sounding the alarm that most NTM infections are being driven by use of non-sterile water and or distilled water to clean and rinse airway clearance devices. Water straight from the taps in not clean/sterile by any means. The process used in water sanitization in residential zones does little to kill off nontuberculosis mycobacteria in residential water sources. NTMs do not make the average population sick, but in immunocompromised and respiratory-compromised people NTM can cause life threatening illnesses. The most common NTM to cause illness in PCD patients is nontuberculosis mycobacterium avium complex (also known as MAC). However thirteen percent of PCD patients will endure a mycobacterium abscessus infection which one of the hardest NTMs to treat let alone eradicate. NTM experts are advising patients to stop using distilled water even in their sinus rinses as the process to distill water also is not effective to kill off NTMs in the water. The advice is to boil your tap water for five minutes before using it to clean your equipment, remember to mask while boiling to protect yourself from organisms that escape into the air while boiling. Your provider can also prescribe actual sterile water for your cleaning needs. In a pinch and while traveling NTM specialist agree bottled spring water can be used instead, however weekly or nightly sterilization processes should be completed with all equipment depending on manufacturer recommendations.
Yours Truly,
Smile E. Turtle
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