Neti Pot Deaths & How to Neti Safely

Two neti pot users in Louisiana died from a brain-eating amoeba in the water. Does this mean you should give up your neti pot?

The amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, is sometimes present in freshwater lakes and ponds. It can also contaminate tap water and is not lethal if you drink it. It can infect the brain via the nasal passages, however, if it gets into the sinuses. Neti pot use isn’t the only way that people get infected with Naegleria fowleri. If you’re swimming in a contaminated lake or pond, it’s possible to get infected as well if water gets into your nose.

How to Neti Safely

When I talked about this story with my friend Tracy, she wondered why the headline was “Two Die from Using Neti Pot” and not “Louisiana Tap Water Contaminated with Brain-Eating Bacteria.” I think that’s a really great point, and I’m not going to let this stop me from using my neti pot. What I am going to do is take some extra safety precautions, since it seems that tap water may not always be safe for nasal irrigation. Here are some options to neti safely:

Distilled water. I’m not crazy about bottled water, but in this case it might be a better option. Some grocery stores sell distilled water that you can put into your own, reusable container. If that’s an option, it’s definitely more eco-friendly than buying bottled water.
Boil your water. This is my preferred method for sure. Boil your water, then wait for it to return to a safe temperature. Just to be clear, you do not want to put boiling water into your neti pot. Test a few drops on the inside of your forearm to make sure it’s reached a lukewarm temperature before you use it. You can also boil a few cups of water and store it in a Mason jar in the refrigerator, so you don’t have to boil it every time.

It’s always scary to learn that a healthy habit has caused harm, but I think it’s important to keep these incidents in perspective. Thousands of people use neti pots every day, and there have only been two deaths reported this year from Naegleria fowleri in neti pot water. If you take some simple safety precautions, there’s no need to panic or to give up your neti pot.

Image Credit: Neti Pot photo via Thinkstock.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Dale O.

6:06PM PDT on May 13, 2012

Neti pots are useful, had never heard of this organism regarding neti pots before but it appears as if this is very rare. There are so many people swimming in lakes/rivers/ponds and have not suffered much in the way of ill effects. Always useful information to know however if one uses a neti pot daily, especially when suffering from pollen allergies.

Have always boiled the water and never for ten minutes. During our water ban last year local officials advised a mere 1 minute to boil the water before drinking. Afraid I do not have the patience to boil for ten... After the water is boiled I just pour it into a mug and let it sit til lukewarm, add the saline solution and neti pot away! So pleased to know that since I had always boiled the water there are no little organisms invading my brain cells!

Fascinating, there is always some deadly organism out there lurking...be it our brain cells or whatever. Having had river and lake water up my nose while swimming for much of my life, have not died yet. Thankfully infection is rare but forewarned is best.

Just do not run into the giant amoeba in space seen on the Star Trek episode The Immunity Syndrome - that will really wreck your day as well.

My neti pot and I will continue our relationship safely, with boiled water and then the soaking in hot soapy water for half an hour, a boiled water rinse and last of all, the fabulous air dry!

Thanks for the warning for those who do not boil the water!

send a green star

Kenneth D.

9:29AM PDT on Apr 21, 2012

noted - thanks

Azle B.

7:54AM PDT on Apr 10, 2012

Hydrogen peroxide washes between fillings and bottled water for the fillup should handle the sanitation problem.

Kathleen K.

12:04PM PDT on Mar 23, 2012

peopel don't pay attetion and these two people who died used stupidity over common sense.

Samantha M.

6:33PM PST on Feb 22, 2012

thanks

Karen L.

2:32PM PST on Jan 14, 2012

Yikes - scary info, but still a very valuable practice. Just use due diligence.

Margaret M.

3:43PM PST on Jan 8, 2012

I never knew what a neti pot was until I read this article. While I due have sinus problems I don't think a neti pot is for me. Thank-you for the informative article.

Kimberlee W.

5:03PM PST on Jan 7, 2012

I'm actually happy about this - not that anyone died, of course not, but Finally, I can show my husband that it's simply not healthy to leave the damn thing in the shower and use the shower tap. I use double-filtered tap and clean his pot when I can get it, but at least now he might listen to me.

Richard K.

10:24AM PST on Jan 4, 2012

for some reason the end of the CDC article is not being copied - last try!

"...or heated tap water