Contaminated Water Mold Is Next Health Concern

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Contaminated Water

Mold Is Next Health Concern

Posted Dec 11, 10:16 am.

Centralia Chronicle - Centralia,WA*

By Carrina Stanton

For The Chronicle

http://www.chronline.com/storylife.php?

subaction=showfull & id=1197396989 & archive= & start_from= & ucat=2

The photos of the devastation of this week's floods were awful, said

Kathleen Eussen.

Perhaps even more disturbing in her mind, though, were pictures of

people, often with children in tow, walking without shoes in muddy

floodwaters.

" It's like walking in sewage, " said Eussen, director of County

Public Health. " It's a soup of everything possible. "

Standing water during a flood, and the mud it leaves behind, has the

potential to be a major public health issue in the coming weeks,

Eussen said. That's because as water covers the ground, it picks up

a toxic mix of anything it washes over.

" Everything you can think of is in there, " Eussen said. " If you

think about what's at a farm. There's animal waste. There's human

waste. There's animal carcasses. There's fuel and pesticides and

other chemicals. "

Public Health officials recommend anyone coming into contact with

floodwaters wear protection such as rubber boots and gloves to

minimize skin contact with the water. Skin should be thoroughly

cleaned after exposure to water, especially in areas where there are

cuts or wounds.

Well Owners

The toxic mixture in floodwaters can also affect drinking water,

especially for well owners. The County Health Department's

water lab will be testing for coliform and E. coli contamination but

many kinds of bacteria could be present in a well if it was covered

or surrounded by floodwaters, said environmental health specialist

Meredith . Contamination may have no color, taste or odor so

the best way to ensure the water is fine is to have it tested,

added.

" We want them to consider that it's contaminated and don't drink the

water without boiling, " said.

Residents under a boil-water order should either use bottled water

or bring water to a rolling boil for three to five minutes, cool and

then store. Boiled water should be used for: cooking; making ice;

washing dishes; brushing teeth; washing vegetables; and any other

activities where the water could be ingested. Contaminated water is

safe for washing clothes or bathing unless a person has open wounds.

The water quality lab will be open special hours from 10 a.m. to 2

p.m. Saturday and Sunday, offering free water testing to anyone who

has sterilized their well and wants to be sure the water is safe to

drink.

So far, 275 bottles have been distributed following the floods, but

many more are expected to be requested in the coming weeks.

Eussen said with routine water quality checks, well owners are asked

to bring in a sample of the water for testing and then if bacteria

are found, disinfect and resample. In the case of flooded wells,

Eussen said they are urging people to simply sterilize their wells

and then come in for a water sample bottle.

" If they think it's contaminated, we're going to go ahead and assume

it is, " Eussen said.

said the water lab has a great deal of information available

for well owners and anyone with any question about their drinking

water following the floods is encouraged to call.

" I've been really impressed with the number of people who have

already called us, " said. " Hopefully this means very few

people are going to get sick on contaminated drinking water. "

Mold

After the waters have receded, the next big public health concern

for those affected by the floods will be mold, said White,

public health advocate for the Washington State Department of Health

indoor air quality program. Mold begins to grow in waterlogged areas

in the first 24-48 hours, she explained. Anything that could not be

thoroughly dried and disinfected during that period should be

discarded, White said.

" For most people, the reactions to mold are usually going to be

allergenic, " White said. " But for someone who, say, had asthma or

some sort of compromised immune system, it could cause serious

problems. "

Mold is not considered safe inside a home because it can cause

disease over time in even healthy people, according to information

from the DOH and the National Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. The higher the exposure to molds, the greater risk for

illnesses such as fungal infections, respiratory diseases and

inhalation fever.

Preventing mold following flood damage requires extra diligence,

White said. Both floodwaters and clean water spills, such as a burst

pipe, have the potential to cause mold growth in a home but

floodwaters are more toxic to those cleaning up.

" The floodwaters will also be carrying bacteria so you will want to

be careful about that, " White said.

It is recommended that homeowners not try to tackle disinfecting any

surface larger than 10-feet by 10-feet without the assistance of

professionals. Those cleaning should wear rubber gloves, an N95

respirator, eye protection and coverings for as much skin as

possible. Hard surfaces can be cleaned with a solution of ¼-cup

bleach to one quart of water then allowed to dry and then scrubbed

with ¼-cup of a borate based cleanser such as Borax to one quart

water.

But much of what was underwater will not be saved, Eussen said.

County is in the process of applying for grant money from the

Washington State Community Trade and Economic Development commission

to be able to provide new housing for some county residents whose

homes were flooded.

" Some of those houses will never be able to be lived in again, "

Eussen said.

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Carrina Stanton is a freelance writer who lives in Centralia. She

can be reached at carrinastanton@....