plastics in humidifier and tubing

jdennie wrote:I told people that I would only discuss this in PM. Don't want to upset the newbies or give anyone a false reason for not using their CPAPs.

Sorry if my posts unnecessarily instilled too much concern, jdennie.

One option might be to report relevant information in an objective manner---sort of what an impartial journalist tries to do. That approach at least gives everyone a chance to hear relevant news and then decide how they feel. Of course, I realize if you're frustrated or impassioned about the issue, that style of information sharing can be next to impossible to accomplish.

We all have a need gripe and commiserate at times. That's for sure! Anyway, thanks for what you have shared so far. I personally appreciate it and I'm sure many others do as well.

jdennie wrote:I told people that I would only discuss this in PM. Don't want to upset the newbies or give anyone a false reason for not using their CPAPs.

I appreciate your concerns, but I believe you have been misled. Someone sent those exact words to me, too, and it just ain't so. The people who hang out here are very smart people, and most have many years of life experience under their belts. They don't need your protection. They're grown-ups, and they can think through things and make their own decisions.

"Newbie" doesn't mean "child," just someone who's new to this forum. Frankly, I think that anyone who would use the discussion in this thread as an excuse to sleep without their xpap equipment has a LOT of issues that need to be dealt with. The loudest thing being said here is that sleeping without xpap equipment is a SURE road to damage and possibly even death. If someone doesn't hear that, I believe they're trying to not listen.

You're a newbie, and you seem to be taking part in this discussion very well.

I'm pretty new here -- two months -- and I'm following it okay.

Not scared.

Used my machine last night like a good girl.

Please go with your common sense, not with the whispered warnings of a single person, and post the text of the email. Your decision.

Marsha

marshaeb wrote:I appreciate your concerns, but I believe you have been misled. Someone sent those exact words to me, too, and it just ain't so.

BTW, lest anyone misunderstand, that person was NOT -SWS. I'm still waiting for my appointment with the exorcist, so we're still thinking alike.

Marsha

Okay . . . Okay everybody. I thought only a couple of people wanted this information. I'll go ahead and make my post public.

Anyway. . . the information I got is not earth shattering and probably what we all expected. Nonetheless, as you know some of us have made several attempts to get a straight answer out of Respironics about BPA content in their machines. The latest was a response from Zita Yurko, the regulatory affairs officer of the company. She told me that they were having to go back to their suppliers to get this information and she wouldn't know anything until mid-October. At the same time that she was telling me this, the Respironics customer service department was responding to another email of mine in which I clearly stated that I didn't want to know their position about the safety of BPA, but that I wanted to know if the products contained BPA. Below is my latest query and their answer. . .

From: Dennie, John [mailto:jdennie@weatherfordisd.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 3:41 PM
To: Service
Subject: RE: Contact Us - Information Request

Once again you have not answered my question. Do your products contain BPA? Yes or no. It’s a simple question with a simple answer. I would like to continue using the product, but I am reluctant to do so in light of a September 16 article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association linking adult bpa exposure to heart disease, type II diabetes and liver toxicity. Please tell me whether or not the product contains BPA so I can make an informed decision. I have spent many, many hours reading about this subject and I’m well aware of the FDA’s position, Respironic’s position, Health Canada’s position, etc. concerning the safety of BPA. I just want to know whether your products contain the chemical.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Respironics:
I got a final answer from our Product Manager. He said yes it contains BPA. Regards, Service


Now I don't know about you guys, but at the very least I'm little disappointed in the apparent diversion tactics used by Ms. Yurko. Remember, she told another of our members that she wouldn't have an answer for a couple of months. This just doesn't pass the smell test.

Whatever the case . . . this is NOT A SMOKING GUN . . . that should cause you to stop using your CPAP. If I am able to have a urine test performed that indicates elevated BPA levels above what the FDA says is safe I will let you all know. Until that time don't freak out. Let's all sleep soundly (with our CPAPs turned on) knowing that we are doing the right thing by investigating all possibilities.

Best regards to my fellow freight trains.
John Dennie







Sincerely,

John Dennie

marshaeb wrote: BTW, lest anyone misunderstand, that person was NOT -SWS. I'm still waiting for my appointment with the exorcist, so we're still thinking alike.

For a professional exorcising might I suggest seeing a gym coach?


I would feel bad if the views I shared earlier somehow made people think that we should suppress information. Facts and opinions are great IMO. I personally want to see all the facts and even all the opinions when I come here to read. And sometimes that entails debate---which I also want to see as long as that debate is civil and rational.

Any vague sense of panic coupled with implied scandal is specifically what I think stands to serve us poorly. If the sky is truly falling most of us genuinely want to hear about it. But we don't want to be implicitly guided into a sense of panic based on the interpretations of others. I suspect that most of us are interested in seeing and interpreting those pieces of sky for ourselves. That's all.

-SWS wrote:

marshaeb wrote: BTW, lest anyone misunderstand, that person was NOT -SWS. I'm still waiting for my appointment with the exorcist, so we're still thinking alike.

For a professional exorcising might I suggest seeing a gym coach?

Oh, hardy, har, har. I do NOT appreciate being made to think late on a Friday afternoon.
exorcising.....exercising.....gym
I guess that rates a "hee" but never "hee, hee."

Marsha

Dear SWS,

Concerning posting with an objective journalistic style. It might interest you to know that my undergraduate degree is a BS in none other than . . . . taaaadaaaaa . . . . . .Journalism. However, I have spent most of career as a creative director/copywriter for advertising agencies. You're right . . . it is in my training and nature to be persuasive. My apologies. Thanks for injecting reality into this discussion. I will try to be more unbiased and objective from here out.

(Does that mean I have to use the inverted pyramid though?)

marshaeb wrote: I guess that rates a "hee" but never "hee, hee."

Marsha

Well the above humor assessment somehow reminds me of that' half-glass of water sitting on the table between the optimist and pessimist...

Of course, being the eternal optimist I look at that statement and think: "Alright! So I was half funny that time!!! Woohoo!!!!" The justifiably suppressed pessimist inside would have said: "Pssst! Hey buddy, your sense of humor has already reached it's half life..."

jdennie wrote:Dear SWS,

Concerning posting with an objective journalistic style. It might interest you to know that my undergraduate degree is a BS in none other than . . . . taaaadaaaaa . . . . . .Journalism. However, I have spent most of career as a creative director/copywriter for advertising agencies. You're right . . . it is in my training and nature to be persuasive. My apologies. Thanks for injecting reality into this discussion. I will try to be more unbiased and objective from here out.

(Does that mean I have to use the inverted pyramid though?)

Absolutely no apologies are necessary, jdennie. We have a fantastic mix of people here IMHO. Plus one more starting with this thread.

jdennie wrote:Once again you have not answered my question. Do your products contain BPA? Yes or no. It’s a simple question with a simple answer. I would like to continue using the product, but I am reluctant to do so in light of a September 16 article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association linking adult bpa exposure to heart disease, type II diabetes and liver toxicity. Please tell me whether or not the product contains BPA so I can make an informed decision. I have spent many, many hours reading about this subject and I’m well aware of the FDA’s position, Respironic’s position, Health Canada’s position, etc. concerning the safety of BPA. I just want to know whether your products contain the chemical.

Well written!!

jdennie wrote:Respironics:
I got a final answer from our Product Manager. He said yes it contains BPA. Regards, Service

Well done!!

jdennie wrote:Now I don't know about you guys, but at the very least I'm little disappointed in the apparent diversion tactics used by Ms. Yurko. Remember, she told another of our members that she wouldn't have an answer for a couple of months. This just doesn't pass the smell test.

Well, what she said was the evaluation wasn't finished. I'm not sure what "the evaluation" entails, but I still agree with you. Diversion at the very least.

jdennie wrote:Whatever the case . . . this is NOT A SMOKING GUN . . . that should cause you to stop using your CPAP. If I am able to have a urine test performed that indicates elevated BPA levels above what the FDA says is safe I will let you all know. Until that time don't freak out. Let's all sleep soundly (with our CPAPs turned on) knowing that we are doing the right thing by investigating all possibilities.

Best regards to my fellow freight trains.
John Dennie

Well said!!

By the way, John, way to hang in there during one of the more empassioned discussions I've encountered in my short time here. When someone joins the forum, somebody always manages to remember his/her manners and follow through on what has become a tradition, yet is completely heartfelt. In the middle of all this, we forgot our manners, and I apologize. You sure earned this: WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!

You are very welcome here. Please keep coming back. A tapestry never can have too much color, IMO.

Marsha

jdennie wrote:Dear SWS,. . . Thanks for injecting reality into this discussion.

Wasn't it Robin Williams who said that reality is merely a crutch for poeple who haven't yet learned how to deal with their fantasies?

I used to worry about being rational in my posts here, myself. But then it hit me: "Why bother? -SWS has it covered!"

Truly, thank you Mr. -SWS. You do us all a great service, Sir. Puns and all.

marshaeb wrote:

jdennie wrote:I told people that I would only discuss this in PM. Don't want to upset the newbies or give anyone a false reason for not using their CPAPs.

I appreciate your concerns, but I believe you have been misled. Someone sent those exact words to me, too, and it just ain't so. The people who hang out here are very smart people, and most have many years of life experience under their belts. They don't need your protection. They're grown-ups, and they can think through things and make their own decisions.

"Newbie" doesn't mean "child," just someone who's new to this forum. Frankly, I think that anyone who would use the discussion in this thread as an excuse to sleep without their xpap equipment has a LOT of issues that need to be dealt with. The loudest thing being said here is that sleeping without xpap equipment is a SURE road to damage and possibly even death. If someone doesn't hear that, I believe they're trying to not listen.

You're a newbie, and you seem to be taking part in this discussion very well.

I'm pretty new here -- two months -- and I'm following it okay.

Not scared.

Used my machine last night like a good girl.

Please go with your common sense, not with the whispered warnings of a single person, and post the text of the email. Your decision.

Marsha

Very well said Marsha and I was shaking my head in the affirmative as I read it.

We eat almost entirely organic, have eliminated plastics in the kitchen and elsewhere as much as possible, and I too am still masking up.

My common sense tells me that the manufacturers will try to eliminate BPA and other now known problems from their products. I drank water from bike water bottles for years - ones that got hot in the sun, and ingested who knows what from tons of other plastics including microwave, before I knew better. I few years on the small amount of toxins from therapy equipment is the least of my problems at this point : 0 However, in the future I will support the manufacturer that puts out the least toxic product - that's for certain.

Thanks for posting your email exchange publicly, John. It's very appreciated.

I do the best I can, but I fail miserably at being as rigorous with my health as I feel I ought to be. But the bottom line is this for me - I still breathe polluted air all day long. I cannot control 100% every bit of food that is grown by other people and prepared by other people for my ingestion. I have no idea of the long term toxic consequences of 98% of the products I come into contact with all day as part of my job.

If I think too long about any of this stuff, I tend to lose my mind. I just have to ignore alot of it and move forward, in order to survive.

We can only do what we can do. As new information comes to light, we should probably address it. Keep hammering away at them, John, and god bless you for the struggle.

Cheers,
Barbara - Who really doesn't WANT to outlive her friends, anyway

Babette wrote:Thanks for posting your email exchange publicly, John. It's very appreciated.

I do the best I can, but I fail miserably at being as rigorous with my health as I feel I ought to be. But the bottom line is this for me - I still breathe polluted air all day long. I cannot control 100% every bit of food that is grown by other people and prepared by other people for my ingestion. I have no idea of the long term toxic consequences of 98% of the products I come into contact with all day as part of my job.

If I think too long about any of this stuff, I tend to lose my mind. I just have to ignore alot of it and move forward, in order to survive.

We can only do what we can do. As new information comes to light, we should probably address it. Keep hammering away at them, John, and god bless you for the struggle.

Cheers,
Barbara - Who really doesn't WANT to outlive her friends, anyway

I can understand about not wanting to watch all your loved ones be buried, but every day you're not in this world others miss out on your wisdom and overall fabulousness. : ))

gasp wrote: (about Babette) ". . . your wisdom and overall fabulousness. . . ."

I agree about her wisdom and fabulousness, even if I've never seen her in her overalls!