Anyone Concerned About Bisphenol A?

[Player]

All the air and the water in the humidifier are in contact with plastics that could be bpa.

From this site:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural- ... szraw.aspx
The latest scientific research has given us a lot of good reasons to think carefully about how we use plastics. The main concern with several types of plastic is that they contain endocrine disruptors — substances that, when taken into our bodies, alter normal hormonal function. Over the past several years, scientists and the media have struggled to find answers to mysteries such as precocious puberty, declining fertility rates in otherwise healthy adults, hyperactivity in kids, the fattening of America, and the persistent scourges of prostate cancer and breast cancer. Although multiple factors play a role in all of these conditions, one recurrent theme is the brew of endocrine disruptors infiltrating our lives.




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[LSAT]

All the air and the water in the humidifier are in contact with plastics that could be bpa.

From this site:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural- ... szraw.aspx
The latest scientific research has given us a lot of good reasons to think carefully about how we use plastics. The main concern with several types of plastic is that they contain endocrine disruptors — substances that, when taken into our bodies, alter normal hormonal function. Over the past several years, scientists and the media have struggled to find answers to mysteries such as precocious puberty, declining fertility rates in otherwise healthy adults, hyperactivity in kids, the fattening of America, and the persistent scourges of prostate cancer and breast cancer. Although multiple factors play a role in all of these conditions, one recurrent theme is the brew of endocrine disruptors infiltrating our lives.




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Why don't you find out before you panic?

[Julie]

It's come up here more than once, been discussed and found not relevant to us. Do a forum search on it to see what's been said.

LSAT - who said they panicked?

[Janknitz]

I'm not sure it's "not relevant to us" but sleeping all night with oxygen sats in the low 70's is of greater concern to me. I'm not happy about all the plastics. But at least I'm alive and cognitively intact to worry about it.

[chunkyfrog]

Here we go again!
Even aspirin has a down side.
Too much Tylenol can kill you.
A poorly fitted/designed mask can move your teeth, dry mouth can contribute to tooth decay.
Balance and common sense are simply too hard to wrap somebody's head around--
especially if one is already wrapped a bit too tightly.
Browsing on the Internet can cause suicidal thoughts. At least there's that.

[Player]

I can see it is a problem, but everyone here wants to kill the messenger.

[palerider]

I can see it is a problem, but everyone here wants to kill the messenger.

I guess you'd have to research the construction of your unnamed manufacturer humidifier to see if it's a bpa free plastic or not.

mine's metal.

[Nick Danger]

As of a couple of years ago, ResMed stated that they did use BPAs in their plastic components - not sure about the humidifier reservoir (which would be most problematic - heated plastics give off more BPAs)

[Sir NoddinOff]

The problem with worrying about exceedingly peripheral stuff (and trust me, everyone's got a ton of it) is that it can really distract from the stuff that needs to be dealt with RIGHT NOW, like your CPAP therapy. You can always go to a machine shop later and have them fabricate a stainless steel tank, for say, a half a year's wages. Or so I'd guess.

[SleepDisturbed]

Nope, not at all.

[chunkyfrog]

It's probably way too late for most of us.
Why have a cow for nothing?
I throw out old water bottles when they are too hard to clean properly.
I still have a couple that are decades old--probably full of the stuff!
Can't live forever . . .

[archangle]

The concern about BPA is probably overblown to begin with, but it's much less of a concern in CPAP machines.

Let's assume for the moment BPA might be a concern in things like disposable soft drink bottles.

With drinking bottles, BPA can dissolve into the water, which you then drink. In CPAP, it might go into the humidifier water in some humidifiers. Don't drink the humidifier water. Don't swallow any plastic mask parts, either.

BPA has a really low vapor pressure. What that means is that very little of it will turn into a gas that you can inhale. BPA fumes are unlikely to be a problem.

With a disposable soft drink bottle, you'd get a fresh supply of BPA every time you get a new bottle. Presumably if BPA is leaching out of the plastic, it leaches the most when new, and declines over time as the "free" BPA is used up. CPAP tanks or other parts aren't replaced that often. The only frequently replaced mask CPAP part is the pillows or cushions, which are usually silicone, which doesn't contain BPA.

The plastic of most concern in CPAP machines in terms of PBA is polycarbonate. BPA is one of the precursor chemicals you use to make polycarbonate. In concept, there's no BPA in the finished product except as a contaminant.

TL:DR - Unless you're drinking the humidifier water or eating the plastic parts, you're probably not getting much BPA from CPAP. You're probably getting a much, MUCH smaller dose from CPAP than you are getting from the other BPA sources in the modern environment.

[Drowsy Dancer]

viewtopic/t104204/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8 ... ic#p742015

[postitnote]

For those of us older than toddlerhood it's really too late! Soda bottles, ketchup bottles, milk jugs, you know what comes in plastic...we've been exposed all our lives! Most of us have been exposed to chemicals in our yards have been banned too. Then there's the sun we used to soak up sans sun block! As a grandma I am glad my babies aren't exposed to BPA in their babas and binkies now. The world is getting a little greener again. We need to do the best we can for the future generations now. Let them remember us as caring people.

[Player]

After this thread, and reading through the other threads about bpa, I won't post anything other than basic questions here. The level of understanding is, well not what I am used to. Nobody is having a fricking cow, nobody is all in a rage, I was asking a legitimate question about a toxin I am now exposed to for 1/3 of my day, for the rest of my life. I never drink out of plastic bottles, I don't eat canned food, I store all my food in glass containers, I never cook with non stick coatings on pans, I don't handle register receipts, etc... Just because I am going to use CPAP does not mean I have to accept being subjected to a toxin (potentially).

I also don't believe the chemists that claim toxins are not toxic. Or the level of this or that is perfectly safe.

So thanks for the advice to stop thinking about BPA, but I will just not ask questions around here that at not straight forward CPAP.

We can just end this thread now, as there is nothing useful around here to be added. I get it. Don't ask about it, as it is not bad for me, or I am not getting any exposure to it, or it is better to suck in BPA than to go without CPAP.

Cheers and happy dreams with low AHI.