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All this info is really disturbing. I'm pregnant and on cpap. So which is worse? Low O2 sats and panic hormones running thru me all night or slow poisoning with phthalates and lead. Sheesh. Who would I even talk to about this for reassurance? Guess this is something I'm just going to have to ignore and hope for the best.

jen

socknitster wrote:All this info is really disturbing. I'm pregnant and on cpap. So which is worse? Low O2 sats and panic hormones running thru me all night or slow poisoning with phthalates and lead. Sheesh. Who would I even talk to about this for reassurance? Guess this is something I'm just going to have to ignore and hope for the best.

jen

I should also mention that it is possible to produce soft, pliable plastics without phthalates ... so not all plastics have them especially if they are produced here in US or industrial countries other than China. The problem is with the trade agreements we have with China.

For now, you can just check that hoses and masks (the only plastic CPAP products likely to have phthalates) and make sure they are not made in China. Hard plastic products do not utilize phthalates. I would agree with what was said about lead not being such a big deal ... unless you are eating the plastic.

socknitster wrote:All this info is really disturbing. I'm pregnant and on cpap. So which is worse? Low O2 sats and panic hormones running thru me all night or slow poisoning with phthalates and lead. Sheesh. Who would I even talk to about this for reassurance? Guess this is something I'm just going to have to ignore and hope for the best.

jen

The good news, odd's are the radiation will get us before the lead turns our brain to mush. We all die of something, that's one fact I can't get around. Jim

The more important concern, with us buying all our products out of the country and other outsourceing, who's going to have a job left to pay the bill? If the government just keeps spending and printing money to cover that, what becomes of us and our children. Maybe we can walk to Mexico, and get a job.

We should all take comfort in the fact that all of these items are approved by the FDA.

I'm sure they wouldn't let us have anything that was "bad" for us.


Den

Wulfman wrote:We should all take comfort in the fact that all of these items are approved by the FDA.

I'm sure they wouldn't let us have anything that was "bad" for us.


Den

... and if they are provided to us by our professionally trained Guest DMEs they must be even better

This is just one link that highlights medical wequip in China.

http://www.made-in-china.com/productdir ... &x=19&y=14

China has been manufacturing significant quantities of medical equipment for years.

Since the mid 1990s approx 60% of all Taiwan's mfg capacity has moved from Taiwan to the mainland. The trade has become so significant that 3 years ago China & Taiwan began direct flights to each other's countries (which may seem strange to some allowing for Taiwan's president Chen Shui-Bian doing so much saber-rattling about going for independence )

Taiwan have been producing CPAPs for some years. China proper is also manufacturing them.

Hong Kong (to my knowledge hasn't & doesn't). But also HK, long before Taiwan, shifted the bulk of its mfg capability to special admin regions in Southern China - the most prominent mfg region being Shenzhen which is right on the border of HK - these regions are designated SAR (Special Admin Region). There are now several SARs (Macao, HK, Shenzhen & some up north near the Korean border. Even Nth Korea now has its own SARs for westerm manufacturers - some amazing things are going on in the East, hidden behind the politics, which at times seem to be in direct contradiction with what is actually happening on the ground).

Here is a link to write up on Shenzhen (an amazing place) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhen

Shenzhen is really part of Guangdong province (What we use to call Canton). HK is historically also a part of Guangdong.

The last time I went to Shenzhen I was stunned at how utterly modern the city was, it rivaled HK in *some* respects except HK has its magnificent harbour and its history.

DSM

Speaking of the FDA, we ARE talking about a govermnent agency and what is best for us. Don't kid yourself.

DreamStalker wrote:I wouldn't be so sure about that. China has no regulations and a lot of toxic products are getting into this country besides food and toys. NPR just did a report earlier this week about the plastic products coming from China which contain phthalates, additives used to make plastics soft and pliable. The US and most other developed countries have banned the production of phthalates. However, the US trade laws have a loop hole that allow them in plastic proucts from China and sold to US consumers. The European Trade Union has banned the sale of all products with phthalates and any products found to contain them over there are promptly shipped to this country. Phthalates are known to inhibit sexual development in mammals and affect female reproductive system, besides being carcenogenic.

EDIT TO ADD: ... and you don't have to eat the plastic to respond to the effects of phthalates because they outgas very slowly in th the air (ie. they enter the body through the lungs).

Interestingly I read an article in a health magazine today at the chiropractor's office about pthalates causing obesity. They said pthalates are in a lot of plastics. They even suggested to cut the outter layer off cheese and other food items packaged in plastic.

These are interesting posts. I'm trying to determine my own comfort level with various products. I've always thought of the air delivered through my CPAP as filtered air, never considering the plastic it is delivered through. The possibility of the CPAP hose containing harmful composite had never occurred to me.

Those in the know, keep us posted on further research.

I've used a CPAP machine for several years without incident. But a few months ago I noticed a dramatic change in the way I felt. After sleeping in my mask all night, I would awaken dizzy, puffy faced, fuzzy headed, bleary-eyed and stiff. I'd lurch around for an hour or two before I'd start feeling better. Finally, when my supplier sent new hoses and nose pieces for my WISP, I noticed a horrible smell when I tried to use it. It was the scent of cheap rubber you'll sometimes smell on really cheap shoes. When I looked at the bag my hoses came in, I noticed they were made in China. I decided to sleep without using my CPAP equipment to see if I felt any differently in the morning. Boy, was I surprised. Miraculously, I woke up feeling steady, clear-headed, clear-eyed and limber. I continued sleeping without the CPAP and continued to feel good when I woke up in the morning. The difference was dramatic. I can draw only one conclusion: SOMETHING in those Chinese-made hoses and that Chinese-made water tank was making me very sick. Was it lead poisoning? I don't know, but I had many of the symptoms. I will certainly report this anecdotal evidence to my doctor, the CPAP supplier and my Senator. There is absolutely no reason to use Chinese made products when we have citizens in America who are willing to work and looking for jobs. Shame on the companies who go for CHEAP instead of MADE IN AMERICA!

Re: CPAP made in China
Post by Little Listener on Sat May 23, 2015 10:43 pm

I've used a CPAP machine for several years without incident. But a few months ago I noticed a dramatic change in the way I felt. After sleeping in my mask all night, I would awaken dizzy, puffy faced, fuzzy headed, bleary-eyed and stiff. I'd lurch around for an hour or two before I'd start feeling better. Finally, when my supplier sent new hoses and nose pieces for my WISP, I noticed a horrible smell when I tried to use it. It was the scent of cheap rubber you'll sometimes smell on really cheap shoes. When I looked at the bag my hoses came in, I noticed they were made in China. I decided to sleep without using my CPAP equipment to see if I felt any differently in the morning. Boy, was I surprised. Miraculously, I woke up feeling steady, clear-headed, clear-eyed and limber. I continued sleeping without the CPAP and continued to feel good when I woke up in the morning. The difference was dramatic. I can draw only one conclusion: SOMETHING in those Chinese-made hoses and that Chinese-made water tank was making me very sick. Was it lead poisoning? I don't know, but I had many of the symptoms. I will certainly report this anecdotal evidence to my doctor, the CPAP supplier and my Senator. There is absolutely no reason to use Chinese made products when we have citizens in America who are willing to work and looking for jobs. Shame on the companies who go for CHEAP instead of MADE IN AMERICA!

Re: CPAP made in China
Post by Little Listener on Sat May 23, 2015 10:43 pm

I decided to sleep without using my CPAP equipment to see if I felt any differently in the morning. Boy, was I surprised. Miraculously, I woke up feeling steady, clear-headed, clear-eyed and limber. I continued sleeping without the CPAP and continued to feel good when I woke up in the morning. The difference was dramatic. I can draw only one conclusion: SOMETHING in those Chinese-made hoses and that Chinese-made water tank was making me very sick. Was it lead poisoning?

If you had lead poisoning and removed the source of lead for 24 hours, you would not miraculously recover. Lead accumulates in your body and stays there a very long time.

I am skeptical of your entire story.

What busybody deleted my post? I spent the time to make a post and I don't appreciate it one damn bit that you deleted my post.

I know the forum moderators aren't working on Sunday morning and I am going to find out who deleted my post. You have done it before. A nasty pox on you!