Millions of people rely on machines to help them with sleep disorders, but now some of the devices have been recalled because they could pose serious health problems.

Baltimore sister station WBAL-TV reported many people are having difficulties getting replacements, and what a Maryland man did to protect his health.

Charles Mercer believes his machine helped change his life.

"My wife always complained about me snoring, and then she said, 'You know, you actually stop breathing at night,'" Mercer said.

Mercer suffers from sleep apnea, and the device he uses is designed to keep him breathing without any pauses while he sleeps. Mercer has had it for less than a year, and now he worries it could cause him harm.

"I could see if I had broken it or misused it — none of that. It was working fine," Mercer said.

Mercer stopped using his DreamStation in June after Philips, the manufacturer, announced a voluntary recall of certain continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPap) and ventilator machines.

WBAL checked with Northwest Hospital and other places that help patients who have sleep disorders.

"It's very scary. We have a lot of patients concerned. We hear about it from patients who come to our sleep labs," said Sarah Tencza, with respiratory and sleep services at Northwest Hospital.

Philips lists the recalled machines on its website and explains the foam used to reduce sound and vibration may break down.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, black debris from the foam or certain chemicals released into the device's air pathway may be inhaled or swallowed. Nationwide, the FDA said there have been more than 1,200 complaints and more than 100 injuries reported.

Exposure to the debris or chemicals could cause health issues, including skin, eye and respiratory irritation; headaches; asthma; nausea; and it could also impact the kidneys, liver or potentially cause cancer, according to the FDA.

"Normally, when things break, you have a recall and the company fixes it just like a car," Mercer said.

But the company said it has no quick fix.

In an email, Mario Fante, senior press officer for the Philips Global Press Office, wrote: "We fully understand the impact this is having on patients. Our priority is to replace the foam in all affected devices either by repair or replacement. We are unable to provide an immediate solution at this time."

Philips estimates 3 million to 4 million units are in use globally — about half of which are in the United States. The company said it has "increased production of repair kits and replacement devices" to 55,000 a week and hopes to increase that capacity to 80,000.

But the company can't send them out yet. It's still waiting for regulatory clearance from the FDA.

Meanwhile, Philips advises against using the affected CPAP and BiPap machines and suggests users consulting their doctor.

Dr. Jennifer So, the University of Maryland Sleep Lab's director, said patients definitely need to talk to their physicians about their best options "to see if the small risks from foam degrading and not using the machine is greater than the benefits they may get from being able to sleep and breathe at nighttime and maintain oxygen saturation."

So said in some cases, not using the machines can lead to uncontrolled blood pressure and heart and lung problems.

"I'm scared to use this one. They said, 'Use it if you want at your own risk.' I said, 'I don't know about that,'" Mercer said.

Mercer said he did register his BiPap machine online as Philips requested. When he stopped using his DreamStation, his wife didn't like it.

"I started going back to snoring. She was complaining. I said, 'I got to do something,'" Mercer said, laughing.

To keep peace at home and protect his health, Mercer purchased a different machine from another company. Others have done the same, and that has caused a shortage of sleep apnea machines. Mercer now wonders if he'll get reimbursed the more than $1,700 he spent on the replacement.

"Sometimes, you look for justice. Sometimes, there is none. You just have to keep surviving," Mercer said.

Philips claimed using what's called an inline bacterial filter may help. Mercer didn't have much confidence in that solution. The FDA said it has no evidence of the safety or effectiveness of using that type of filter for mitigating foam risks.

Philips said people who use an affected ventilator should not stop using it and should consult their doctor.

HAMILTON, Ohio — Hamilton’s original plan was to activate its new downtown parking-meter kiosks in March 2020, but then COVID-19 arrived. With businesses reopening to customers, the city now plans to activate the machines July 12, according to the Journal-News.

In the meantime, people parking near the kiosks on parts of High and Dayton streets and RIverfront Plaza (near The Marcum apartment and retail development) are receiving fliers on their windshields telling them that starting July 12, parking tickets soon will be written.

The parking enforcement is not an effort to make money for the city, said Rich Engle, Hamilton’s director of engineering.

Parking enforcement is never a profit-maker for city government, he said: “It’s always a deficit for the city. We just want to make sure there’s spaces available a potential customer drives through High Street or Main Street, that we have parking spaces available.”

So far, new parking kiosks aren’t on Main Street, but that is being considered, Engle said.

The kiosks will charge 50 cents per hour, for a maximum of two or three hours, depending on the location. Parkers will be able to pay the meters using coins, credit cards and soon, an app called Passport, he said.

He said for shops and restaurants, it’s important to have a free flow of parking nearby so customers are encouraged to pull in to park. The two-hour parking limits enforced by the meters are intended to keep nearby residents and employees from using parking for long periods.

Parking will be enforced from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. In addition to that, evening hours also will be enforced along Riverfront Plaza from 5 to 10 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, when nearby restaurants and bars have some of their busiest hours.

Fines for violations are $10, if the penalty is paid within 48 hours from midnight of the violation date the citation was issued. If it is paid between 48 and 96 hours afterward, the fine climbs to $20. After that, the fine climbs to $30.

The city will continue its use of the ‘Curbside Hamilton’ parking spaces in front shops and restaurants the city created early in the pandemic. Those areas, which are painted green, allow free parking for 10 minutes while people either park and wait for food and beverages either to be brought out to them or while they quickly go inside to make the pickups.

“We have those strategically placed all over the urban core,” said Mallory Greenham, small-business specialist for the city. “In fact, we’re getting ready to repaint those spots — some of them faded over the winter — and add a few more spots to places we think would benefit.”

Some of those spaces are along Main Street, in the downtown, in German Village, with another soon to be added in Lindenwald’s business district, Greenham said.

Each kiosk serves several parking spaces. After parking, people need to find the nearest kiosk and enter their license plate number before paying the parking fee.

The kiosks cost $85,000. City Manager Joshua Smith has said the city’s only goal financially is to recover costs of those kiosks plus their maintenance and costs of parking enforcement, not to make profits.

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. — Technology has drastically changed over the years, but one Colorado shop shows us no matter how old something is, it can still work perfectly

From the outside of Raymond's Office Machine & Supplies, you’d never know what lies beneath the alley shop. When you step inside, the more than 50 years of sales and service become evident.

“This is a Hermes. It’s a model 300 typewriter. These are made in Switzerland. It’s one of the top of the line portable manual typewriter," said Darwin Raymond, the owner.

To call Raymond’s skills unique would be an understatement. The same goes for his assistant, JJ the cockatoo.

“..like I said if he takes something apart, you can almost never get it back together," Raymond said.

Most of the time, he’s looking over Raymond’s shoulder as he plucks and pulls moves and maneuvers to fix every kind of typewriter. It's a skill Raymond never thought would be needed in 2021.

“Oh I thought it was dead 30 years ago and there wasn’t much going on, people just throwing typewriters away, going on with the new computers and printers and everything," Raymond said. "The typewriter stuff has come back. It’s evolved back.”

Not even the newest technology is distracting the younger generations from this 1800s invention.

“They are tired of all the computer electronic stuff. I think they are kind of going back," Raymond said. "Something that they can hit a key and see it print and it’s not going anywhere else.”

In the last two years, Raymond has watched them return to popularity.

“I get equipment and calls from all over the United States," Raymond said. "And they call me for all kinds of stuff. A lot of times they say, 'I want a certain typewriter, a certain type style, a certain color,' and because of what I have, probably 60, 70% of the time, I can fulfill what they want.”

If you want a typewriter to come back to life, Raymond is one of the few people who can make that happen.

“The problem with these is finding parts," Raymond said. “If I don’t have it, there are very few people I can get it from.”

Thousands of parts and dozens of machines all fixed for use.

“I have probably over 100 different machines down in my basement," Raymond said. “It’s just a resurgence. I can’t explain it. I don’t know why it is, but I am very thankful for it.”

There is one thing he is worried about.

“The problem is that there’s not a lot of younger people that want to work on them or learn how to work on them," Raymond said. “I’m just hopeful somebody will come along that will want to learn how to do that and maybe take over my position someday.”