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Tell us your opinions on asthma products

ASTHMA PRODUCT RECALLS
General

• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
  • Recalls Search
  • Report Unsafe Products
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Report Adverse Reactions and Medical Product Problems to the FDA 
    
  • Safety Alerts for Drugs, Biologics, Devices, and Dietary Supplements
• Consumer Reports: Product Safety Recalls: search to see whether a product you own has been recalled for free.
  
  • Aprilaire model 5000 electronic air cleaner

Specific Asthma Product Recall Notices

• Nasal Spray Recall from Propharma Inc. (AANMA, 3/24/04)
• STUDY OF ASTHMA-DRUG HALTED: Serevent (salmeterol xinafoate) Inhalation Aerosol suggests that the drug may be associated with an increased risk of life-threatening asthma episodes or asthma-related deaths, particularly in some patients. (FDA, 1/23/04)
  
• Glaxo Smith Kline 'Diskus' Asthma Medicines Sold in Canada (AANMA, 11/17/03)
  
• Combivent® Inhalation Aerosol Recalled (AANMA, 5/21/02)
• Maxair Press-and-Breathe Inhaler (AANMA, 5/8/02)
• Whirlpool®, Comfort-Aire®, and Kenmore® Dehumidifiers (AANMA, 1/31/02)

HUMIDIFIERS

• Dirty Humidifiers May Cause Health Problems, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) safety alert issued (CPSC Document #5046).
• Use and Care of Home Humidifiers: Indoor Air Facts No. 8, Office of Air and Radiation (6607J), Office of Research and Development (MD-56), U.S. EPA (last modified: December 10th, 2003).

RESIDENTIAL AIR CLEANERS

• Consumer Reports
  • Air purifiers: Filtering the claims (December 2007)
    • How to choose
    • Improving your air quality - Air purifiers alone won't clean the air or relieve asthma or allergy symptoms
    • Not Acceptable: Ozone generators
    • Electrostatic precipitator advice
    • Room models
  • A'humidicleaner' (February 2008) - CR's take. In our tests, the Venta-Airwasher was no better at removing dust and smoke than no air cleaner at all. It was efficient at adding moisture to the room but lacks a sensor and controls to let you set a humidity level. Without those, humidity can rise more than desired and contribute to mold and mildew growth. And the device is pricey: $200 for the smallest model (LW-14), plus $90 a year for water additive and cleaning solution.
  • Air cleaners: The truth behind the accolades (October 2007)
    
  • Settlement in Sharper Image Ionic Breeze class action
    
  • Sharper Image pays $525,000 to end lawsuit against Consumer Union
    
• ENERGY STAR Room Air Cleaners
  • Room Air Cleaners Product List (Current as of October 3, 2007)
  • Room Air Cleaners Key Product Criteria
• OZONE GENERATORS THAT ARE SOLD AS AIR CLEANERS, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (last modified: August 9, 2007)
• Ozone: Good Up High, Bad Nearby, USEPA (last updated April 30th, 2004)
• Study Shows Simple Steps can Reduce Dust Mite Allergens in Bedrooms, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIEHS PR #01-19 (last modified 06 Mar 2002)
• Saving your Money on Ozone Air Cleaners, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, NIEHS/NIH Publication #99-4671 (last modified 12/27/00).
• Residential Air Cleaners: Indoor Air Facts No. 7, Discusses air cleaning as a method of reducing pollutants in indoor air. Lists types of air cleaners for the home, factors to consider in selecting an air cleaner, and sources of additional information. U.S. EPA, Office of Air and Radiation, (EPA Document Number 20A-4001, last modified: June 24th, 2004).
• RESIDENTIAL AIR CLEANING DEVICES: A Summary of Available Information, Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) of USEPA, EPA 400/1-90-002 (last modified: June 24th, 2004).
• Residential Air Cleaning Devices: Types, Effectiveness and Health Impact, American Lung Association (funding for this publication was made possible by an educational grant from Honeywell, Inc).

ASTHMA PRODUCT AND SERVICE EVALUATIONS

Asthma product and service evaluations are provided by you and for you so that you can know about the wide variety of innovative products and services to assist your physician to choose those that might be right for you.

Your medical insurance plan may pay for these items if they are needed. Please check with your insurance company about your medical coverage and your doctor if they are right for you.

Below is a listing of some of the products, service providers and suppliers of asthma care or related products.
We do not endorse these suppliers or their products--nor do we receive any funding from these companies or any asthma drug or product manufacturing company either.