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Posted on Oct 04, 2002, 6 a.m.
By Bill Freeman
National Jewish Medical and Research Center reports that microscopic organisms contained in aerosols generated by indoor hot tubs can cause lung disease in the people who regularly use them. National Jewish physicians recently treated nine people, including four children, for a lung disease caused by nontuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM).
National Jewish Medical and Research Center reports that microscopic organisms contained in aerosols generated by indoor hot tubs can cause lung disease in the people who regularly use them. National Jewish physicians recently treated nine people, including four children, for a lung disease caused by nontuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM). NTM -- specifically, Mycobacteria avium and fortuitum -- were found in the hot tub water and/or in the air of the homes of the people diagnosed. (Unlike its bacterial cousin tuberculosis -- transmitted by infected humans -- NTM is not contagious.) The hot tubs are located inside homes near family and living rooms and bedrooms. The team speculates that the jets from hot tubs aerosolize the bacteria, suspending and dispersing them in water droplets. The researchers caution that the increasing popularity of luxury items like hot tubs will prompt an increased incidence that requires early recognition and understanding among doctors and consumers.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference 96th International Conference, May 2000
