Many of you may have seen very inexpensive “Oxygen Concentrators” available online, including Amazon, Facebook, eBay.These are selling in the range of $300 to $650. They are not FDA approved, nor will they support the supplemental oxygen needs of most living with COPD.
FDA-approved portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) produce at least 93% oxygen at any given setting. The COPD Foundation, an important member of the US COPD Coalition (USCC), is raising awareness about the dangers of non-FDA approved oxygen concentrator, which they have nicknamed “Noncentrators”. These non-approved concentrators produce close to just 30% oxygen (just a bit more than is in the air we breathe) at higher settings that many individuals need. These are DANGEROUS! UNRELIABLE! UNSAFE!
“Sadly, many people purchase these “Noncentrators” only to realize it didn’t help. Poof!! Up to $650 or more right down the drain!”, says Michael W. Hess, MPH, RRT, RPFT, Senior Director of Public Outreach and Education at the COPD Foundation.
Hess and the COPD Foundation are leading the way in fighting the sale of these ineffective devices with a petition drive. “We have only until March 31 to submit a petition to have the FDA take action to take these off the market”, said Hess.
This is your chance to help other patients with respiratory issues not to purchase something unauthorized that will simply not help them. Please help them by joining us in signing this petition.
Click here to sign the petition. You will be directed to a new page where you simply click on “Sign Petition” (not “sign up for alerts”), provide your information, and click “submit”. It is that simple…and you will have helped many living with COPD or other respiratory conditions. It honestly should take less than one minute. Help us help each other!
Finally, “Share, share, share…far and wide!”, says Hess. “There is strength in numbers. We really need the powers that be to realize how serious this is!!”