@muon and @ scoop - I find most inflexible positions/zero tolerance policies on Lung Matters and similar sites to be hard to take. Remember, these are not medical professionals with the backing of research promoting these processes. They are laymen like you and me who have done a fair amount of research. But they "cherry pick" the experts and studies they quote.

We are all different, in our lives, the severity of our condition, our risk tolerance and our time and other resources to follow a specific path. Even the medically trained and experienced specialists at the major treatment centers do not take the same rigid approach.

I have stayed healthy for 4 years with daily cleaning/weekly boiling - MAC is "slow to grow" and experts agree that biofilm does not form instantly to protect it, so requiring daily boiling makes no sense. The same with boiling water that has tested MAC-free coming out of the taps, especially if water heaters are set above 130F.

Five years ago I took to heart my ID doc's advice, "MAC is a disease you will live with, not die from. You need to be reasonably cautious, then go out and live your life."

Sue