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Reducing Exposure to Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM)

MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: Mar 31 1:07pm | Replies (184)
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Profile picture for Sue, Volunteer Mentor @sueinmn

I just reread the article, and see the recommendation. but there is no electric kettle that boils for 10 minutes.
However, based on his reference to killing e. coli, the 2021 CDC guidelines instruct to boil for 1 minute to kill it.(https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/travel/backcountry_water_treatment.html)
And I have searched and searched for any study or test that requires 10 minutes of boiling...

I await a webinar with Dr Falkinham to address this issue.
Sue

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Replies to "I just reread the article, and see the recommendation. but there is no electric kettle that..."
Armando | @bolso1 | Oct 7, 2021

Sue,
About the "time" issue when boiling water:

In Table 7.8 (attached) of the WHO's "Guidelines for drinking-water quality - 4 ed.", (https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241548151), it is indicated that "spores are more resistant to thermal inactivation than are vegetative cells; treatment to reduce spores by boiling must ensure sufficient temperature and time."
Do NTM have spores? Yes according to the attached reference.
So, the 10-min recommendation might aim to provide a general "rule of thumb" safety margin.

Also, there is research that shows that Mycobacterium sensitivity to heat varies with the phase of growth: when in a phase that can lead to fast growth, Mycobacterium is more sensitive than when in a phase close to a stationary state (slow growth rate) (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2705590/pdf/zpq10781.pdf).

Armando
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Guidelines for drinking-water quality, 4th edition (Guidelines-for-drinking-water-quality-4th-edition.pdf_extract.pdf)

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