Could a water bottle with a built in carbon filter affect a child's asthma?
January 2, 2011 12:54 PM Subscribe
Could a water bottle with a built in carbon filter affect a child's asthma?
Sometime between the age of two and two and a half we started giving our little girl a water bottle (similar to this) with a built in carbon filter. We give this to her at night so she can use it in her bed. We found this type of bottle doesn't leak like sippy cups. So, 18 months or so later our little girl has some form of asthma. We've had a thought that this carbon filter might be building up mold which is contributing to her asthma.
The manufacturer suggests that we should change the filter every three months or so. I don't think we've kept up with that. We probably half-fill the bottle every other day or every third day. She uses the bottle every night, so it never dries out.
Anyone have any ideas about this?
Sometime between the age of two and two and a half we started giving our little girl a water bottle (similar to this) with a built in carbon filter. We give this to her at night so she can use it in her bed. We found this type of bottle doesn't leak like sippy cups. So, 18 months or so later our little girl has some form of asthma. We've had a thought that this carbon filter might be building up mold which is contributing to her asthma.
The manufacturer suggests that we should change the filter every three months or so. I don't think we've kept up with that. We probably half-fill the bottle every other day or every third day. She uses the bottle every night, so it never dries out.
Anyone have any ideas about this?
What did the diagnosing physician say? He or she is in the best place to identify likely causes of your child's symptoms and work with you to eliminate or reduce them.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 1:00 PM on January 2, 2011
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 1:00 PM on January 2, 2011
Is there any good reason not to replace the water bottle? If there's mold in the filter, it could definitely aggravate an allergy, which can cause asthmatic symptoms. Separate from her asthma symptoms, the bottle could be contaminated with bacteria and other germs. Get a new bottle without a filter and wash and dry it every day. If you want to filter the water, filter it before you put it in the bottle. Reused water bottles can get disgustingly germy unless you're careful.
posted by decathecting at 1:02 PM on January 2, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by decathecting at 1:02 PM on January 2, 2011 [3 favorites]
Simple possible fix: Get rid of the bottle and see what happens.
If you want to filter the water, filter it before you put it in the bottle.
This.
Reused water bottles can get disgustingly germy unless you're careful.
And this.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 1:24 PM on January 2, 2011
If you want to filter the water, filter it before you put it in the bottle.
This.
Reused water bottles can get disgustingly germy unless you're careful.
And this.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 1:24 PM on January 2, 2011
This sounds like a very sketchy correlation.
Also, if your hope is to sue the manufacturer of the water bottle company, you've just shot down any chance of winning a suit by admitting explicitly and publicly that you didn't follow the manufacturer's usage guidelines.
posted by yellowcandy at 1:27 PM on January 2, 2011
Also, if your hope is to sue the manufacturer of the water bottle company, you've just shot down any chance of winning a suit by admitting explicitly and publicly that you didn't follow the manufacturer's usage guidelines.
posted by yellowcandy at 1:27 PM on January 2, 2011
Has the bedding got wet as well? Maybe change out the mattress, it could have gotten damp and grown mold as well.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 2:08 PM on January 2, 2011
posted by bottlebrushtree at 2:08 PM on January 2, 2011
Then there is the broader hypothesized correlation between asthma and overcleanliness - - the Hygiene Hypothesis.
posted by fairmettle at 2:33 PM on January 2, 2011
posted by fairmettle at 2:33 PM on January 2, 2011
IANAD, but I've had my moderate-to-severe asthma my entire life. I've never heard of any sort of connection to filtered water or even food-bound chemicals and asthma, unless the person in question is allergic to the food and/or chemical already; allergies often serve as a trigger for asthma attacks. Mold generally is bad news for that sort of thing, but I'd think the product would be designed to be often wet.
While no one knows what causes asthma, poor air quality/airborne particulate matter and genetic pre-disposition seem to be the strongest factors. But if you're concerned about it, why not get rid of the bottle and see what happens? And n'thing talking to your kid's pediatrician; this is what they do!
posted by smirkette at 3:23 PM on January 2, 2011
While no one knows what causes asthma, poor air quality/airborne particulate matter and genetic pre-disposition seem to be the strongest factors. But if you're concerned about it, why not get rid of the bottle and see what happens? And n'thing talking to your kid's pediatrician; this is what they do!
posted by smirkette at 3:23 PM on January 2, 2011
Best answer: Highly, highly unlikely - asthma is exacerbated by inhaled irritants (mould spores, as mentioned above, being one of many triggers), and if this bottle "never dries out" there won't be anything dry enough in it to become something inhalable. Unless your child is, unbeknownst to you, managing to manipulate the bottle in such as way as to spray the contents so she can inhale them (in which case you'd probably know this by the spray of water across part of the bedroom) then you can probably rule out the bottle as a cause.
Short version: asthma is in the bronchi. To make it worse, something has to get into the bronchi; this means being in a dust/particulate/aerosol form.
Asthma is often worse at night - I'm thinking this might be why you're associating it with a night-time bottle. If her symptoms aren't properly controlled, or keeping her awake, or anything like that, then see your doctor.
posted by Coobeastie at 4:01 PM on January 2, 2011
Short version: asthma is in the bronchi. To make it worse, something has to get into the bronchi; this means being in a dust/particulate/aerosol form.
Asthma is often worse at night - I'm thinking this might be why you're associating it with a night-time bottle. If her symptoms aren't properly controlled, or keeping her awake, or anything like that, then see your doctor.
posted by Coobeastie at 4:01 PM on January 2, 2011
Highly, highly unlikely - asthma is exacerbated by inhaled irritants (mould spores, as mentioned above, being one of many triggers), and if this bottle "never dries out" there won't be anything dry enough in it to become something inhalable.
However, it could be sufficient conditions for growing mold anyway. I had a fancy water bottle that I used daily but got some mold in it. I was never able to completely clean the mold out of the cap and straw assembly. I ended up getting a replacement cap and straw for it in the end. I'd say show the current bottle to the doctor, but get an alternative and keep it clean.
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:01 PM on January 2, 2011
However, it could be sufficient conditions for growing mold anyway. I had a fancy water bottle that I used daily but got some mold in it. I was never able to completely clean the mold out of the cap and straw assembly. I ended up getting a replacement cap and straw for it in the end. I'd say show the current bottle to the doctor, but get an alternative and keep it clean.
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:01 PM on January 2, 2011
As Coobeastie pointed out, asthma is often worse at night, and in a person with asthma, drinking very cold liquids (like ice water) can also cause an asthmatic reaction. The same goes for ice cream, stepping out doors when it's cold out, etc.
Not to mention there are about a hundred other places for asthmatic triggers to be in a bedroom. Allergen pillow and mattress covers are a great investment, as are frequently washed curtains, rugs, stuffed animals etc.
posted by fontophilic at 8:05 PM on January 2, 2011
Not to mention there are about a hundred other places for asthmatic triggers to be in a bedroom. Allergen pillow and mattress covers are a great investment, as are frequently washed curtains, rugs, stuffed animals etc.
posted by fontophilic at 8:05 PM on January 2, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks MeFites. As is often the case the best answers are obvious in hindsight. In the endless search for what might be causing or aggravating her condition we suddenly realized there was a source of mold in her bed with her every night. Most likely correlation rather than causation but it will be interesting to see if there is an improvement. We have rid ourselves of the offending bottle; and no, we weren't intending to sue anyone.
Cheers
posted by pandabearjohnson at 2:13 AM on January 3, 2011
Cheers
posted by pandabearjohnson at 2:13 AM on January 3, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Carbon filters don't cause asthma. It is likely a coincidence that your child developed asthma at the same time that she started drinking filtered water.
posted by dfriedman at 12:59 PM on January 2, 2011