aluminum or BPA in respironics humidifier?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 11:01 am

Well, I do use DW, and I just normally ADD, and never dump. No growth yet. But every month or so I feel the urge to clean, so I do. And then I also clean everytime I go on a trip, because I want to get any possible foreign flora out of there.

What's a little aluminum gonna do to me now? I've lived in Tacoma - the arsenic capital of the NW - for nearly 40 years. I'm gonna worry about a little aluminum? Not to mention living downwind of the Aluminum plant here in town...

LOL,
Babs

birdshell · Post by **birdshell** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 11:23 am

ywp wrote:
<snip>
I added some peices of copper to my water tank just for the added anti- micro. properties. . Well documented that copper or other metal pipes have water of better bacterial quality than the newer plastic, pvc, etc. pipe.
Read an interesting study that showed hospitals could reduce secondary infections rates by using copper plated door knobs, faucets and hardware

As a teacher, 6-8 sinus infections per year (no matter what level I taught, K-12) were standard for me. I tried to convince the custodians and principals that it would be wise to disinfect the doorknobs and handles on everything in the school at least weekly. It seemed that this would be especially appreciated in the all-kindergarten school...but. alas.

Since I've no longer been teaching, I've had only one sinus infection in three years. It was a blinger of a sinus infection, too--but I'll take once in three years over 6-8 in one.

Thus, this copper study is pretty interesting!

Thank you for this contribution.

Karen,

Who notices that silver also possesses
anti-infection properties; but cannot recommend
drinking colloidal silver to the point of resembling a Smurf

BigMoose · Post by **BigMoose** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 11:31 am

Why wouldn't a magnet stick to stainless? It's still an iron alloy..

So called 400 series Stainless steels are magnetic, 300 series have more nickel in them and are typically nonmagnetic. I believe the plate on the bottom of my respironics humidifier is stainless not aluminum. I haven't checked it with a magnet yet, if non magnetic, likely type 316 ss FWIW.

travismcgee · Post by **travismcgee** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:51 pm

Goofproof wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So, what about soaking the chamber in Vinegar/Water solution to disinfect it? Is that harmful?

Cheers,
Babs
In my "Tank" the metal has a coating on it that protects the metal and acts as a seal. If you use distilled water, you shouldn't need to Vinegar/Water the tank, just dump and shake. Jim

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:53 pm

birdshell wrote:
ywp wrote:
<snip>
I added some peices of copper to my water tank just for the added anti- micro. properties. . Well documented that copper or other metal pipes have water of better bacterial quality than the newer plastic, pvc, etc. pipe.
Read an interesting study that showed hospitals could reduce secondary infections rates by using copper plated door knobs, faucets and hardware

As a teacher, 6-8 sinus infections per year (no matter what level I taught, K-12) were standard for me. I tried to convince the custodians and principals that it would be wise to disinfect the doorknobs and handles on everything in the school at least weekly. It seemed that this would be especially appreciated in the all-kindergarten school...but. alas.

Since I've no longer been teaching, I've had only one sinus infection in three years. It was a blinger of a sinus infection, too--but I'll take once in three years over 6-8 in one.

Thus, this copper study is pretty interesting! Thank you for this contribution.

Karen,

Who notices that silver also possesses
anti-infection properties; but cannot recommend
drinking colloidal silver to the point of resembling a Smurf

I would think copper door knobs if you came in contact with the copper would turn green, If they didn't it would be because a product was coating the copper stopping the germ killing effect. Jim

birdshell · Post by **birdshell** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 1:19 pm

Excellent point, Jim. However, I think that without a coating, the copper would remain pretty well coppery in color from all of the handling.

For example, what about our (partially copper) pennies? Rarely do we find one that has turned green (or verdigris, which has recently been in fashion for its attractive green color as a patina). Isn't that because of the amount of handling that they receive?

I've seen brass doorknobs that have not been coated in public buildings. These remain at least partially shiny, and the less-contacted areas are darker. I still think that this would work, but maybe I've not considered something.

I wonder, given the properties of silver and copper in preventing microbes, if there are other metals that will do so? Is this a property of all metals, or is there some section of the periodic table with this property? (I am anything but a chemist.)

Karen

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 4:48 pm

Mercury, but the fumes are deadly. Pennies used to be copper but with the state of our country, the alloy probably doesn't have much copper in it. Jim

If your Lincoln Memorial penny has a date before 1982, it is made of 95% copper. If the date is 1983 or later, it is made of 97.5% zinc, with a thin copper coating, or "clad."

For pennies minted in 1982, when both copper and zinc cents were made, the safest and best way to tell their composition is to weigh them. Copper pennies weigh 3.11 grams, whereas the zinc pennies weigh only 2.5 grams.

This is what we are worth with "God" not in our trust.