parrot and humidifier

Is it ok to run a humidifier that has vicks meds in it while your bird is in the same room ?

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

It is safer not to use the Vick's.  Birds respiratory systems are much more sensitive than humans, and most other pets, and there is no way to determine it is harmful to your bird until he has an adverse reaction.  Birds delicate respiratory systems were exploited in coal mines to detect low levels of oxygen or toxic fumes before machines were developed to access the air quality in these mines, and before there were gas masks.  

The following excerpt is from Wikipedia about the Miner's Canary:
"Canaries were once regularly used in coal mining as an early warning system.[1] Toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and methane in the mine would kill the bird before affecting the miners. Because canaries tend to sing much of the time, they provided both a visual and audible cue in this respect. The use of so called miner's canaries in British mines was phased out as recently as 1987.[2]