CPAPtalk.com

Wulfman... wrote:
Can germs pass from the humidifier to me?
No, using a heated humidifier in line with your CPAP device will not cause you to become sick or give you germs. Fisher & Paykel Healthcare’s heated humidifiers are pass-over humidifiers that do not produce aerosols (the fine water droplets that are visible to the eye such as steam from a kettle). Pass-over humidifiers add moisture in the form of water vapor. Water vapor particles are smaller than bacteria or viruses so it is impossible for them to be transported up to the mask (and then to you). Even if pathogens (germs) were able to exist in the chamber, they would not be able to be transported to you. Refer to the diagram below which demonstrates the size of water vapor, bacteria and virus particles.





Den

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Den: I think this misses another class of contaminants: mold. Molds are ubiquitous in our environment and are naturally transported through the air. They do not need aerosols to hitch a ride. They can be blocked by filters, but my take on this is that filters are like window screens and mosquitoes. How often have you found a mossy in your house that somehow got by the screens!

Is mold a germ?

Hose_Head wrote:Den: I think this misses another class of contaminants: mold. Molds are ubiquitous in our environment and are naturally transported through the air. They do not need aerosols to hitch a ride. They can be blocked by filters, but my take on this is that filters are like window screens and mosquitoes. How often have you found a mossy in your house that somehow got by the screens!

Mold.........?

There's a fungus amongus........

https://www.google.com/#q=types+of+mold

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mold

Like penicillin?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penicillin


Den

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Hose Head, actually there was an informal control. Without salt added, no contaminates were observed in the output stream. With salt added, contaminates were observed. This was repeated several times.

Part 1 of the discussion is if it is possible for an xPAP machine to form an aerosol of the water in the humidifier tank. When I looked into this I decided that yes it is possible.

When you ran tests on this what did you find?

You have a vaild point on dissolving versus suspension. My intent in exploring this was to determine if it was possible to get salt into the air I was breathing. I feel better rested after sleeping near the breaking surf and don't know if it is because of the sound or the salt in the air, or both.

Part 2 is beyond my testing capabilities. I don't know the concentration of pathogens needed to cause issues and I don't know the concentrations of viable pathogens that could actually make the trip from the humidifier tank to your lungs. The results of exploring Part 1 make me hesitant to run out and fill my humidifier from the ditch.

In discussing humidifier water with several RT's, Sleep Doctors, and Pulmonologists, I keep hearing stories of a home visit revealing a lot of "slimy gunk" in humidifier tanks corresponding to some lung compromise. When the hoses and tanks are replaced, the lung issues go away. Keep in mind that these are extreme cases and many times mold is an issue in other areas of the house. The most frequent critique of adding a small amount of salt to the humidifier water is that it is believed that not enough salt makes it up the tube to be beneficial. Benefits observed may be due to placebo, but then they add that salt can make it more difficult for pathogens to grow.

In my case I fall asleep dreaming of the surf and am reasonably certain that I detect a hint of salt in the air...