After great storms, the mold and other things that are left behind can be bad for their health.
A climate change effect is that heavy rains and the increase in sea level cause severe floods. When water increases rapidly and haste to structures, it can cause instant lesions, such as drowned people, suffering injuries while trying to find shelter or escape, or contract hypothermia after being in cold water without shelter or heat.
Floods continue to harm communities in obvious and less obvious ways long after the news trucks leave and the public continues. One of the less obvious dangers is that people are more likely to have respiratory difficulties, including asthma and allergic responses. You can take efforts to reduce flooding possibilities or the health hazards of your lungs once floods occur, which is good.
How does it cause the flooding of problems with breathing?
Floods can transport water that is contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides, biotoxins, wastewater and diseases that live in water in structures. Some harmful substances remain in the dry sediments that are left behind. When you move or clean, this becomes a minute dust in the air. The harmful compounds, metals and biotoxins in that dry flood sediment are now in the air that breathes, which could be bad for their lungs.
Floods do not have to completely cover buildings to cause respiratory complications. They observed many properties after hurricane and discovered that water entered through ceilings, windows and ventilation ducts. Some of these houses were more than 100 miles from the shore, where the storm struck.
Moho development can also be bad for your health.
The mold is another widespread danger. It is a type of fungus that grows and spreads in humid or rotten organic materials. The inner mold is usually formed when there is a lot of moisture, which means that there is a problem with water or moisture. After a flood, wet things inside the buildings are the perfect place for the mold to grow quickly.
The mold can grow in any climate, both indoors and outdoors. It extends generating small spores that float through the air and land in other places. There are no interior spaces that are completely devoid of mold spores, but being close to many of them can cause respiratory problems such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and sinusitis. Therefore, floods worsen respiratory problems by making people more likely to be exposed to higher levels of mold spores both inside and outside.
For example, in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Average number of mold spores Outside in flooded areas it was approximately double that in the unleashed areas. The highest number of mold spores was found inside. A study of the effects of Hurricane Katrina and floods in the United Kingdom in 2007 found that Water damage caused the mold to grow faster and caused more respiratory allergies.
The mold can cause health concerns in children rather than in adults. A study of the respiratory health of young children in 30 Canadian areas found that households with mold or moisture He had greater cases of all respiratory symptoms, such as asthma, bronchitis, eye irritation and cough. Other studies show that The mold can contribute to the development of asthma In children.
What steps can you take to protect your flood health?
According to this and other investigations, we have some tips for you. Some of them are things to do before floods or severe rain, and others are things to do later. You may not be able to prevent hurricanes or large storms from flooding their area completely, but following the actions can help.
Before storms, floods or severe rains that occur every year: prevent water from entering:
- To stop leaks, fix the roof, clean the gutters and seal the areas surrounding the skylights, ventilation pipes and chimneys. During storms and hurricanes, these parts of a building are some of the most likely to damage.
- Shark the garbage in the drains and empty the septic tanks.
- To prevent strong rains and water from entering, developing barriers and plugs in the outer walls and around the windows
- Put a sink pump to get rid of the water in the basement and the return flow valves in the sewer lines to prevent the water from returning to the house.
After a flood or a great storm: act quickly to prevent the mold and humidity from spreading.
The Environmental Protection Agency says that it must be kept from the water from the flood as much as possible, since it can carry dangerous chemicals and electrical risks, such wastewater. Also:
- Stay away from flooded areas (especially after hurricanes) or buildings as much as possible until they are dry and safe.
- Just after the flood, look for signs of water entering, humidity and mold growth in the building.
- Shyse of the sediment that remains after the waters of the floods have been exhausted.
- Eliminate porous materials that are affected. If you can, dry them outside the sun.
- Open all windows and doors to let more air in, or use a large exhaust fan to dry the building as quickly as possible.
- In areas that are wet, such as basements, use dehumidifiers.
- To reduce your exposure to mold spores in the air, update air filters in your HVAC system at least MERV 13 or use portable air filters with HEPA filters.
What to do if you see the mold
- Put on gloves, a well -adjusted N95 facial mask and rubber boots to clean.
- Use soap, detergents and/or antibacterial cleaning agents to clean and disinfect anything that has contacted water.
- Put moldy things in heavy -duty plastic bags that are sealed.
Doing things like you are before and after a great storm can help keep your healthy lungs.
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