Re: whirlpools and hot tubs

[Guest guest]

This is an article posted on Cystic-L in 2001

I would absolutely love a hot tub. I have horrible back, neck and shoulder

pains. But I know my CF kids would NOT stay away from it. The bacteria that

grows in them is aerosolized and is perfect for inhaling deep into the lungs.

Other postings show that some are not easy to get rid of even when tubs are

properly maintained.

Carol

mom of 3 (2wcf)

Family's Respiratory Infections Linked to Hot Tub

By Amy NortonNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Severe lung infections that

struck

one Colorado family were traced to their rarely cleaned, indoor hot tub,

public health officials report.After all five family members developed

serious symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath and night sweats,

investigators found that both the patients and their hot tub harbored

nontuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM).NTM is found naturally in soil and in

water such as tide pools. It can be released from water droplets, or from

the

steam in hot tubs, and then inhaled into the lungs. Unlike the bacteria

that

cause tuberculosis, NTM disease is not passed from person to person.Most

reports of NTM lung infections have been among people with compromised

immune

systems, such as AIDS (news - web sites) patients. But there have been

recent

reports of infection in hot-tub users.In these latest cases, reported in

the

November/December issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, investigators

found

that the family hot tub--used often, with the water rarely changed--was

the

likely culprit.The hot tub was kept in the family's sun room, which

prevented

the contaminated water vapor from dispersing in the environment. Putting

hot

tubs in an enclosed area ``should be strongly discouraged'' for this

reason,

according to Dr. Ellen J. Mangione of the Colorado Department of Public

Health (news - web sites) and Environment in Denver and her colleagues.In

addition, her team notes, the family changed the hot-tub water only two

or

three times between January and October. They add that ``the three

children

often entered the tub after having been outside, without having showered

first.''The researchers speculate that the children may have ''introduced

the

organisms'' into the hot tub this way.The NTM subtypes found in the hot

tub

are heat-resistant, so users cannot rely on the steamy water to kill such

microbes, according to Mangione's team.``Many people assume that

organisms

will not grow in warm or hot water,'' Mangione told Reuters Health. ``We

know

that that is not the case, and that proper disinfection and cleaning are

needed as well.''She advised that hot tubs be maintained according to

manufacturers' recommendations, which include changing the water

frequently

and using an adequate amount of disinfectant.The family in this case

occasionally used chlorine in the hot tub--a chemical that, according to

the

health officials, loses much of its disinfectant powers around 85 degrees

Fahrenheit.Mangione said it is unclear how common it is for people with

healthy immune systems to develop NTM lung infections. In this case, she

noted, the family's symptoms were severe enough to come to the attention

of

public health officials. But it is possible that healthy people sometimes

develop mild NTM infections that resolve without a doctor's help.``It

seems,'' Mangione said, ``that if you expose someone to a high enough

concentration of the organism--in this case, in a confined

environment--and

for prolonged periods of time, the organism will find its way to the

lungs

and do its work, healthy or not.''