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Reducing Exposure to Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM)

MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: Aug 31 11:16am | Replies (157)
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@valerie613

Thank you for sharing this article. I will not switch to an electric water kettle. I think the water kettles shut off right when it boils. I thought it needs to boil for 10 minutes to eliminate the NTM.

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Replies to "Thank you for sharing this article. I will not switch to an electric water kettle. I..."
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Oct 5, 2021

I have looked high and low. In all the published material about NTM I cannot find any study saying definitively that it takes ten minutes of boiling to kill NTM. The best I could find was a recommendation in a single table in this article: https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1513/AnnalsATS.201301-013FR
Logically, this recommendation just doesn't make sense to me. If NTM cannot grow in my water heater if I keep the temperature above 135F (or 70C), and the water heater never boils the water at all, it seems bringing the water to 212F (100C) for any length of time should get rid of any NTM.
So I challenge the research lovers here to find the source of this oft-repeated "boil 10 minutes" caveat. Even the EPA says clear water, as from a lake or stream, needs to be boiled for only 1 minute to remove all pathogens.

Sue

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