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Danger of breathing in steam--chance of reinfection.
MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: Dec 21, 2025 | Replies (11)Comment receiving replies
When I clean my nebulizer, I soak it in warm/hot tap water from the faucet, then rinse with warm/hot tap water. I imagine the temperature doesn't reach 130 degrees because it doesn't feel that hot to touch. During this process, there's visible steam under my face. I'm worried about NTM exposure from this.
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@six5532one Remember, you cannot eliminate exposure to NTM without living in a sterile bubble, so you need to consider the relative risk of each activity. Risk is a calculation, time exposed X amount inhaled. That means a few seconds of exposure while dropping the equipment into hot soapy water is very low risk. Just wait to scrub until the water cools. There is no reason to use hot water for rinsing if you are going to sterilize the equipment afterwards, further reducing risk.
On the list of steam/mist exposures to worry about, if you call breathing in unfiltered shower steam as #10, this would undoubtedly be #99 or lower.