FDA questions safety of CPAP cleaners

Keeping your CPAP machine clean can be a challenge. To help people using CPAP, there are many automated machines that claim to clean or disinfect CPAPs. You may have seen these advertised on TV, or you may even use one!

On February 27, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that "you should think twice before buying a machine that claims to clean or disinfect a CPAP". The FDA specifically warned about CPAP cleaning devices that use ozone or ultraviolet light. This is because the FDA has received complaints from patients who used these products who experienced cough, difficult breathing, nasal irritation, headaches, asthma attacks and other breathing complaints.

It important to know that none of the cleaning devices that use ozone gas or UV light to clean CPAP machines are FDA approved. Also, the FDA does not have evidence that these devices work to clean or disinfect CPAP machines.

If you experienced adverse events related to using CPAP cleaning devices, please report this to the FDA.

For more information about why CPAP machines need cleaning, how to clean your CPAP machine, and FDA concerns about devices claiming to clean CPAPs, visit the FDA website!