Again, hat-tip to the Great Guru Instapundit on this, but I have to chime in:
The FDA is set to ban Primatene inhalers because they use CFCs as a propellant to get the medicine out of the inhaler into the person. For peeps that may not be familiar- Primatene is pretty much the only inhaler you can buy over the counter in this country. The big heavies like Albuterol, you need a prescription for and although Primatene may not be the best inhaler out there, (the prescription ones are better) but if you're in dire need of an inhaler, Primatene has been readily available at the nearest pharmacy.
And there was one particular occasion when I was very thankful for that- one winter, I had my usual sinus infection-head cold combination going on that migrates from my head (with pounding pressure headaches and all the fun stuff that comes with them) to my chest (where going up two steps makes me huff and puff like a 90 year old man) and I needed to breathe. It was night, I was miserable and I needed relief. Primatene was there. And held me over nicely until I could get some heavy duty stuff at the Doctor's office a couple of days later.
I hate CFCs and styrofoam as much as the next person, but if we get them out of hairspray, then how much impact can Primatene inhalers really have? I call epic fail. Sometimes people with asthma- either chronically or just occasionally, like myself, need relief that's easy to find. Primatene was that relief. Banning it does no good for the people that it can genuinely help.
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