Published March 2026

I Trusted My CPAP to Help Me Breathe. It Was Poisoning Me Instead.

Sleep apnea isn't just snoring. For the millions of Americans who stop breathing repeatedly throughout the night, CPAP therapy is genuinely life-saving treatment. The diagnosis, the sleep study, the prescription, the machine — it's a whole medical journey. And at the end of that journey, you trusted the device sitting on your nightstand to keep you safe. Philips took advantage of that trust.

What Sleep Apnea Actually Does to You

Sleep apnea causes your airway to collapse or become blocked during sleep, causing breathing to stop — sometimes dozens of times per hour — for seconds or longer. Each interruption rouses you from deep sleep, even if you don't fully wake. The cumulative effect is sleep deprivation, cardiovascular strain, cognitive impairment, and a significantly elevated risk of serious health events including heart attack and stroke.

Continuous positive airway pressure — CPAP — works by pumping pressurized air through a mask worn during sleep, keeping the airway open. It's one of the most effective treatments for obstructive sleep apnea. Used consistently, it essentially eliminates the airway collapse events, restores sleep quality, and reduces the cardiovascular risks associated with untreated sleep apnea.

For people who've used CPAP successfully, the device becomes part of their life. You travel with it. You feel anxious without it. You wake up in the morning actually rested, which might have been a foreign feeling for years before diagnosis. The machine is not a burden — it's a tool that gives you your health and energy back. That's why the June 2021 recall hit so many people so hard.

The Recall and What It Said

On June 14, 2021, Philips Respironics issued a voluntary recall of 10 to 15 million CPAP, BiPAP, and mechanical ventilator devices. The reason: the polyester-based polyurethane (PE-PUR) foam used for sound abatement inside the devices was degrading. As the foam broke down, it was releasing particles — tiny black flecks — and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) directly into the pressurized air stream. That air stream went through the mask and into the lungs of people using these devices every night.

The recall notification was alarming in its scope but frustratingly vague in its specifics. Philips told users to stop using their devices if they had CPAP or BiPAP machines — but for ventilator-dependent patients, stopping wasn't an option. They told users that the foam "may" be a concern. They recommended consultation with doctors but couldn't say definitively what the health risk was or who was most affected.

For many users, the reaction was: I've been using this machine every night for years. What have I been breathing?

The Chemistry of the Problem

The PE-PUR foam in Philips CPAP devices was specifically engineered to absorb sound — it made the machines quieter, which is a genuine quality-of-life feature for sleep devices. But over time, particularly in warm or humid environments (like a bedroom), the foam degrades. As it degrades, it releases chemicals including diethylene glycol, various aromatic amines, dimethyl diazene, and other volatile compounds. Some of these have been identified as potential or known carcinogens in independent testing.

Users who cleaned their CPAP equipment with ozone-based cleaners — which were widely marketed and used before the recall — accelerated the foam degradation. The very effort to keep the device sanitary may have made the chemical release worse.

The black particles visible in some devices were degraded foam. Users who saw these particles were breathing them in — directly into their lungs, night after night. Some have described finding black flecks in their masks, tubing, and humidifiers and not knowing what they were.

The Health Consequences Being Reported

Reported health conditions among Philips CPAP recall claimants include cancers of the lung, bladder, kidney, thyroid, and other organs; respiratory conditions including pneumonia, COPD exacerbation, and pulmonary fibrosis; and other systemic conditions potentially related to long-term VOC exposure. The FDA has received more than 98,000 medical device reports related to the recall, including reports of more than 561 deaths.

Not every health problem experienced by a CPAP user is caused by the foam degradation. But users who developed serious health conditions during or after extended use of recalled devices deserve to have those conditions properly evaluated in the context of their device history.

The Settlement and Where You Fit

MDL 3014 — the consolidated Philips CPAP litigation in the Western District of Pennsylvania — reached a major settlement in December 2024. The settlement created two tracks: Track A for personal injury claims (cancer, serious respiratory conditions) with a fund of approximately $1.1 billion, and Track B for medical monitoring claims for users without current diagnosis. Filing deadlines exist for both tracks. An attorney can help you understand which track applies to your situation and ensure your claim is properly documented before deadlines pass.