{"id":5162,"date":"2023-03-21T03:45:47","date_gmt":"2023-03-21T03:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthnewscentral.com\/?p=5162"},"modified":"2023-03-21T03:45:47","modified_gmt":"2023-03-21T03:45:47","slug":"cdc-survey-finds-that-too-many-people-use-neti-pots-and-vaporizers-unsafely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthnewscentral.com\/cdc-survey-finds-that-too-many-people-use-neti-pots-and-vaporizers-unsafely\/","title":{"rendered":"CDC Survey Finds That Too Many People Use Neti Pots And Vaporizers Unsafely"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Deposit Photos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you\u2019ve never used a neti pot, then this photo may confuse you just a little. A neti pot happens to be a pot that looks very much like Aladdin\u2019s lamp, which was first made and used around 500 years ago to help cleanse the nose of blockages using a water and salt solution.<\/p>\n

Over the years, the neti pot has gained both popularity and acceptance, alongside many other machines that help people dealing with sinus, allergy, and breathing issues. However, people have also started using water straight from the tap for either neti pots, vaporizers, CPAP<\/a> (continuous positive airway pressure) machines for sleep apnea, and humidifiers, but what they may not realize is that they are opening themselves up for serious \u2013 even potentially life-threatening \u2013 infections and disease. This comes from the findings of a survey<\/a> from Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/em> that were published in their February 2023 Emerging Infectious Diseases<\/em> issue.<\/p>\n

According to the survey authors, when people use unsterilized tap water in such equipment, like the neti pot, it can be risky due to the low levels of microorganisms that tend to remain in the drinking water distribution systems and wells. Such microorganisms include biofilm pathogens, which happens to be a kind of germ that sticks to water pipes and penetrate the water system, hence infecting the water that passes through the pipes.<\/p>\n

Some of these potential pathogens that can be found in tap water are Pseudomonas aeruginosa<\/em>, nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM),\u00a0Legionella<\/em>\u00a0spp., and\u00a0Naegleria fowleri<\/em>. The report also states that more often than not, \u2018these are the germs that are responsible for a large portion of the 120,000 hospitalizations, 7,000 deaths, and billions in direct healthcare costs annually related to waterborne diseases.\u2019<\/p>\n

Report Shares Lack of Information About Tap Water and Home-Use Medical Devices<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Back in August 2021, the researchers from the CDC did a survey of 1,004 people throughout the United States to try and figure out what their awareness levels were like when it comes to the risks of using tap water in medical devices such as CPAP machines and neti pots.<\/p>\n

What they found was that around 1in 3 people that were surveyed had incorrect answers about tap water not containing bacteria or other living organisms.<\/p>\n

The report also shared these additional findings form the survey, as stated below:<\/p>\n