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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on February 21, 2014 at 11:03

Sorry for the delay in getting back June (there's not enough hours in my days at the moment).  I dug into some of my old info and found this that I'd saved on the computer http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2556912/ and also this old news report that caused quite a stir at the time http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/172810.php and whilst I know this was contaminated well water, it does go to prove the water was able to cause the person damage.

Incidentally, one of my customers told me the other day that his hospital here in the UK has given him a note to take to his doctor for a prescription for distilled water and was told not to used boiled tap water.  I'm waiting to hear how much water he'll get for the price of a prescription and will keep you posted.

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Permalink Reply by June Ostiadel on February 21, 2014 at 13:42

Hey thanks for that Kath, interesting. I spoke to a friend of my who is a science teacher and she said boiled water was ok! Now to be on the safe side and for the little cost I personally will continue to use the distilled water.

Thanks for your help with this interesting discussion xx

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on February 21, 2014 at 13:57

Well there's no proof his hospital were correct about not using boiled water, but best not take any chances with your existing lung condition.  I once spoke with someone who worked in a factory that processes deionised water, and he said they have to wear protective gear from head to foot and not to use it.  Unfortunately, a lot of people think deionised and distilled is the same thing - I used to get it myself from the local garage.

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Permalink Reply by June Ostiadel on February 21, 2014 at 14:39

 ha ha You know what Kath,I don't think we will ever know what is coming through the vapour in our individual tubes unless we were scientific and did the tests ourselves

 

thanks againxx

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on February 21, 2014 at 14:46

You're absolutely right June, and each of us has to do what we feel comfortable with   I've had no problems with using bottled mineral water, but if distilled was freely available then I'd certainly be using that.

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan on February 22, 2014 at 10:54

Thanks Kath for the references to medical journals. The first report is written by a manufacturer of filters and based on a pressure of 20cmH2O. However, it does make the point that under the circumstances of the test, bacteria in the water tank are able to reach the patient unless one of their filters is used.  The second case notes a case when contaminated well water caused serious illness.  So I stand corrected in my assumption that only water vapour passes through the tube.  Having said that, the second case notes "The recommendation to use distilled water in CPAP machines is related to preventive maintenance, rather than avoiding contamination."

I originally used Purified Water BP, before trying supermarket bottled water. I have seen no comments on the use of Purified Water.  I have discussed using bottled water with my (then) consultant, who said I could alternatively use boiled water.  More recently I have a water softener, so these days use softened mains water, although I am aware that this should not be drunk as it contains raised salt levels.  My blood pressure remains good :)

Like so much in life, it sounds as if we're short on facts, and balancing risk.  If I had a lung condition, I would be exceedingly careful.  As it is, like most of us, I take my chances.

What does seem to be clear is that topping up the tank rather than emptying it, is increasing the risk.  From this point of view, a cheap/free source of water is important, so people don't feel they are "wasting it" when they tip away the excess each morning.

Jonathan

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on February 25, 2014 at 0:30

Thanks for taking the time to look into the articles deeper than I did Jonathan   It certainly doesn't help us when different hospitals give different advice.  Even the manufacturers seem to give different advice to the US as opposed to the UK!

I totally agree, that if I had any lung condition I would not take any chances, and everyone has to do what they feel comfortable with.

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on March 3, 2014 at 20:38

Someone asked me yesterday what the difference is between Distilled and Purified water.  I didn't have a clue, but was interested so thought this was a good place to post what I found about the differences in water for future reference:-

What’s the Difference between Distilled and Purified Water?

When it comes to the water you drink, there are a number of different choices. If you want the purest water you can find, you may opt for distilled or purified water…but which one is better? What’s the difference between purified and distilled water? Before we get into that, let’s first take a look at the different types of water to give you some initial background.

Different Types of Water

There are many other types of water in addition to tap/municipal, but what exactly are the differences between them?

Spring water – spring water is water from a natural underground source, containing a healthy amount of nutrients and minerals. It is collected at the source, usually with a borehole. Though appealing because it’s natural, spring water doesn’t have the highest levels of purity.

Mineral water – mineral water naturally contains many dissolved minerals – iron, calcium, sulfate, potassium, etc, and it has at least 250 PPM (parts-per-million) of total dissolved solids (TDS). To bring some perspective to this statement, tap water generally has 300 to 400 PPM.

Purified water – the purest water out there, purified water refers to the quality of water. There a number of different ways it can reach this quality, including distillation, reverse osmosis, ion exchange and more. To be classified as purified, the water must have less than 10 PPM. Our bottled water goes through a 10-step purification process that removes 99.9% of impurities, so you can rest assured you’re drinking the purest water possible!

Distilled water – a type of purified water, distilled water goes through a process called distillation. This includes boiling the water, capturing the steam (pure H2O) and condensing it back into water. Distilled water contains no bacteria and a very little amount of contaminants; with a PPM of about 1, it can be classified as purified water!

So What’s the Difference Between Distilled and Purified Water?

Essentially, there are no differences between distilled and purified except the process the water went through to reach purification! Remember – the definition of purified water is a TDS count of less than 10 parts-per-million (PPM), and both distilled water and purified water have between zero and one PPM.

Many people think only distilled water (because of its lack of minerals) is the best type of water to put in their iron, coffee pot or use for medical and dental equipment, but since purified water also contains virtually no minerals, it works just as well! In fact, distilled water costs more because of the energy required to boil the water and remove the impurities – and the prices keep rising!

The only difference between distilled and purified water is distilled water goes through distillation while purified water goes through other processes such as reverse osmosis, ion exchange, Ozonation, sand filtration, etc.

.....................................................So do you choose distilled or purified water? Both are free of bacteria and most impurities – so the difference lies in the price.

(The above info was taken from this site http://www.endlesswaters.com/distilled-or-purified-water )

I did see on another website (forgotten which one now) that Deionised Water has the ions removed but can still contain bacteria and pathogens, so definitely best to leave this for car batteries and irons.

Here's an article by the Mail Online telling us what's in our UK drinking water http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3006/Do-really-know-tap-w...

Yet, interestingly, here's another article also by the Mail Online telling us that bottled water is less safe than tap, hmm http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255803/Bottled-water-safe-...

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Permalink Reply by 99 on March 3, 2014 at 23:46

what an excellent article

in addition tap water has chemicals added like Florine or chlorine or other additives  and can have leaked aluminium

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on March 5, 2014 at 11:43

Thanks 99 and I certainly don't use the tap water from here, as we're in a hard water area and it smells of chlorine.

An update to one of our customers is that he got 25 litres of distilled water for the price of one prescription.  I'm going to have another word with my GP to see what he says, as it's years since I asked him.

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Permalink Reply by June Ostiadel on March 5, 2014 at 12:57

I put in a request at my GP for Distilled Water, the prescription is ready at the chemist; my husband went to pick it up this morning and the pharmacist said it was too heavy for my husband to carry so they would  deliver it this afternoon. I am guessing that it is a 25L also, I will let you know after it arrives, however, no matter what size it is I think between us we have conquered!

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on March 5, 2014 at 13:04

Yes, I'll be sharing this news June and look forward to your confirmation on size.

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