Many voiceover people use various kinds of nasal rinses to keep their sinuses clean and clear. I use one of those plastic squeeze bottles. Others use a Neti Pot.
But a story in the news recently points out that this can be a dangerous habit unless you take some precautions to sterilize the water.
Two people were found dead in Louisiana after using unclean water in their Neti Pots.
I had heard about these deadly amoebas when I took a canoe trip down the Colorado River from the Hoover Dam. All the way down to the water, they repeated the admonition not to dunk our heads under the water in the hot springs. They seemed pretty serious about it – and now I know why.
These amoebas can get into your brain and are 95% lethal.
So, even though it is probably a pretty low risk, I’ll be using distilled water or boiling it before rinsing out my nose!