When all is done and over – rains have stopped and the flood is going down, or the swimming pool in your basement after that pipe burst has subsided – there is one very important thing that you should not neglect: to disinfect whatever was water damaged in your house.
People ask whether water damage disinfection is necessary, considering that what has been damaged will eventually dry. Water damage disinfection is not just necessary; it is critical. Floods bring enormous physical devastation, and even more dangerous than the destruction to the home is the threat to human personal health and safety afterwards.
Water damage, if not arrested and disinfected immediately, can lead to the growth of mold, mildew and bacteria that are harmful to our health. There is also the risk of contamination by animal excretions and chemicals that were carried along in the water by the flood.
Mold
Molds are fungi that grow in places where there is moisture, nutrients, and warm temperatures. Anything in the house that has been water damaged is susceptible to mold growth. These organisms may grow anywhere – on your walls, on the floor, on clothes, in your drinking water, and on your food. Aside from attaching themselves to physical objects, molds produce microscopic cells, called “spores,” that spread easily through the air. Once airborne, these cells can form new mold growths when they find the right living conditions, such as humidity and moisture.
Indoor mold due to water damage can result in allergies affecting the upper respiratory system. The common effects are nasal and sinus congestion, breathing difficulties, a sore throat, cough, skin and eye irritation, and upper respiratory infections.
Mold growth is particularly hazardous for infants, children, and the elderly, as well as people who already have respiratory sensitivities such as allergies and asthma. People who have weakened immune systems – those who have HIV infection, have undergone or are undergoing chemotherapy and organ transplant recipients – are also at great risk due to molds.
There are three types of mold that commonly result from water damage.
Stachybotrys atra is a kind of mold caused by water damage that manifests itself as a black colored growth. Exposure to this kind of mold could result in allergic skin reactions and, in some cases, even death. A person who has been exposed to stachybotrys atra may exhibit respiratory illness, chronic fatigue, and rashes.
Aspergillus, a blue/green mold, is fuzzy in appearance and grows on spoiled food and other decaying vegetative matter. Aspergillus can cause three types of diseases.
One is the allergic broncho-pulmonary disease, also called aspergillosis. Aspergillosis causes allergies due to the spores of the aspergillus molds, and it is usually asthmatic people who are affected. The symptoms are similar to asthma – coughing and wheezing, and on-off episodes of feeling unwell. Some patients cough up brown colored mucus. If this is left untreated, the long-term effects could result in permanent lung damage.
Pulmonary aspergilloma occurs when aspergillus molds penetrate the lung cavity and continue to grow inside the body. The molds form fungus balls inside the lungs, which secrete toxic and allergic products. Patients with tuberculosis or sarcoidosis are extremely vulnerable to pulmonary aspergilloma. Many people who have this do not exhibit any symptoms, and could live for decades without being aware that they have it. In its later stages, aspergilloma can cause weight loss, chronic coughing, and coughing of blood, which is called hemoptysis.
The third disease is invasive aspergillosis. Invasive aspergillosis usually affects people with low defenses such as those who have undergone a bone marrow transplant, cancer patients, AIDs patients, or those who have had major burns. People who have chronic granulomatous disease – a rare inherited condition that results in low immunity – are at moderate risk. Invasive aspergillosis manifests itself through the following symptoms: fever, coughing, chest pain, or breathlessness. It is possible for the fungus to transfer from the lung through the blood stream and affect the brain and other internal organs such as the eye, the heart, the skin, and the kidneys. Diagnosis is through x-rays, scans, or bronchoscopy, where the inside of the lung is inspected by inserting a tube through the nose. If invasive aspergillosis is not diagnosed early enough, the patient may die.
Mucorales is a black mold that grows on decaying matter. A person who is infected by the mucorales mold can develop allergies. Another more potentially life threatening effect it can cause is zygomycosis, an infection of the face and oropharyngeal cavity. Zygomycosis commonly affects the sinuses, lungs, and the brain, but it could also affect the gastrointestinal tract, skin, and other organ systems in the body. A person with an advanced stage of zygomycosis can develop lung disorders, pustules and deep abscesses in the skin, and ulcerations in the body that can lead to the death of the tissues and thus result in gangrene.
Mildew
Mildew is also a kind of mold, one that affects organic materials such as paper, leather, natural fibers, or surfaces coated with organic matter like food or soil. The mildew mold secretes an enzyme that decomposes organic matter and uses it for growth and reproduction.
Mildew usually lies dormant until about 75°F. It thrives between 75°F and 85°F, where moisture is present. Above 85°F it becomes dormant again, and in high heat such as 115°F, it dies. In areas in the house where there is hot temperature, especially during the summer or in heated homes during winter, mildew is likely to grow.
Bacteria
Where there is mold and mildew, bacteria is likely to be present as well. Bacteria are tougher than mold and mildew, and can survive in both hot and cold temperatures. Some forms of bacteria can survive in freezing temperatures too.
Animals and their excretions
Floodwaters carry whatever goes along with the rush of the water. This includes animal urine and feces. Studies have found that animal excretions, especially that of rats who are carriers of potentially deadly bacteria and viruses, can lead to Leptospirosis and the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). Leptospirosis can cause respiratory diseases as well as kidney damage, liver failure, and even meningitis. The HPS, on the other hand, can result in renal failure and hemorrhagic fever. Both diseases exhibit the same symptoms – severe headaches, high fever, chills, vomiting, abdominal pain, rashes, diarrhea, and muscle aches.
Disinfection after water damage
A Mayo Clinic study, conducted in 1999, reported that fungus is the cause of almost all the chronic sinusitis affecting 37 million Americans. Recent studies have also linked mold to the rapid rise of asthma in the past 20 years.
Articles in the home that have been water damaged but were not disinfected at all or not disinfected properly could still be carrying traces of molds, mildew, bacteria, and viruses, and could thus put you at risk for getting any of the diseases we mentioned above. Even though you may be perfectly healthy, toxic molds, bacteria and viruses could increase your susceptibility to diseases by weakening your immune system.
It is therefore important that you take precautions to make sure that any article that has been water damaged be properly sanitized and disinfected. Neglecting to disinfect your home after water damage may seem a minor infraction, but in reality, it could place your health and the health of your entire family at risk.
The simplest and easiest way to disinfect your household possessions is to use a mixture of water and chlorine bleach, at a proportion of ¼ cup bleach per gallon of water. According to the Water Quality & Health Council, chlorine bleach has germ-busting qualities and works by penetrating the protective shells of viruses. Bleach is inexpensive, effective, and all-purpose – it can be used for many kinds of surfaces.
Another commonly used disinfectant is ammonia that has been diluted in water. Ammonia also has disinfecting properties because it raises the pH, or alkaline level. The increased alkalinity kills many types of germs. If you do use ammonia as a disinfectant, be careful. Never – we repeat, never – mix ammonia with bleach. Chlorine and ammonia, separately, are toxic. The combination of the two will form a substance that is much more toxic and irritating, and will release hazardous gases.
There are many other disinfectants on the market such as pine oils, isopropyl alcohol, and commercial solutions. Some people use vinegar as a disinfectant. There are those who use fungicide aerosol sprays. Whatever product you decide to use, be sure to read the label and instructions carefully and make certain that the product or solution is the proper one for the item or surface you intend to disinfect. For instance, certain articles of clothing, like silk or Spandex, should not be cleaned or disinfected with chlorine, otherwise you will ruin the fabric.
Water damage disinfection should take into consideration both your household and possessions, equally. You can’t be healthy in your home if your sofa was left soaking in the flood and you failed to disinfect it afterwards, or if your flooring was wet and you just left it to dry without any disinfection measures. Keeping yourself healthy includes keeping your possessions germ-free too. Water damage may have destroyed or affected the items in your house, but unless you use disinfection methods to ensure that they are safe, your health is at risk.
