Tobacco smoke filter for CPAP
I am hypersensitive to tobacco smoke - burning, shortness of breath, itching, upset stomach - and so on. No treatment has been successful in reducing the symptoms beyond antihistamines and throat lozenges. After a severe exposure, I am uncomfortable for many days so long term medication is impractical.
I'm looking for a pre-filter for my Respironics CPAP to eliminate the trace smoke that my whole-house and room-filters don't catch.
Is there a PREFILTER available for any CPAP that I might adapt? Thank you
RE: Tobacco smoke filter for CPAP
The best pre-filter is to outright ban all smoking in your house. If someone must smoke, send them into the garden or for a walk. Cigarette smoke consists of submicron particles and volatile organics that can be filtered using a dual HEPA/Organic cartridge, but none is made to fit the machines. You could probably DIY an interface that would fit over the machine intake and attach to the cartridge (Remember Apollo 13 fitting round filters in a square hole?), but lots easier to ban smoking from the house so you don't deal with it at all. This is why it is important that any used CPAP machine be verified to come from a totally nonsmoking home, not just the user. That odor is very persistent in the machine and spreads to every surface in a home with a smoker.
RE: Tobacco smoke filter for CPAP
I too am hypersensitive to cigarette smoke. I have literally been dropped to my knees from a single cigarette from a distance of 100 yards. Granted the wind conditions were perfect but that didn't from narrowing to the size of my hand an arms length away. As Sleepreider said avoidance is best. My Dau bought me a hepa filter which reduces, but does not eliminate it for when I must stay in a hotel that supposedly has a no-smoking policy.
RE: Tobacco smoke filter for CPAP
Thank you for the reply. We have 6 room HEPA filters in our home. I travel with the travel room thriller and it has two filters including one half of filter. Under most conditions they are adequate for a family Campground and someone is smoking in the campsite next to me the smoke permeates the trailer and overwhelms the filters.
I was looking for a filter to attach to my CPAP to provide additional level of filtration for the air that I breathe at night.
So far nearly no one even believes that I’m hypersensitive. Obviously you believe since we seem to be equally sensitive.
