If you are wondering what sewage backup is, how it happens, and how dangerous sewage cleanup can be, here is everything you need to know before trying to clean the mess on your own.
A Brief Rundown of Sewage Backup
A sewage backup is created mostly from a combination of grey water and black water.
Greywater has the potential to pose moderate health risks. The water comes from your sinks, tubs, showers, dishwashers, and similar utilities. There is the potential for chemicals and rotten food particles to appear in this type of water.
Black water has the most severe consequences for your health. It’s created from the water used to flush your toilets and any human waste that water has flushed down. Not only is human waste disgusting, but it can cause severe and even life-threatening health complications.
Sewage backups can have many causes. Common reasons sewage backs up into your home include:
- Clogs
- Damaged sewer lines
- Overflowing septic systems
- Tree roots
Sewage cleanup is so dangerous because it presents both direct and indirect effects on your health. These complications can affect you, your pets, and your family.
The Direct Effects of Sewage on Your Health
Direct effects refer to complications that arise from actual contact with sewage backup. Sewage contains bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. These can cause adverse reactions through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact.
Without proper training and safety equipment, contact with sewage poses the risk of more than a dozen diseases and illnesses. These include Hepatitis A, Encephalitis, and Gastroenteritis.
The Indirect Effects of Sewage on Your Health
Indirect effects refer to complications arising from sewage that doesn’t come from direct contact. The primary indirect complication of backup comes from mold growth.
Sewage backups often lead to mold growth. Mold spores thrive in damp environments where organic material is present. With the right conditions, mold can begin growing in just one to two days after sewage first enters an area.
Mold exposure can make asthma and allergy symptoms worse. Exposure is generally more harmful to specific at-risk populations, such as children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems. In certain severe cases, inhaling mold spores can lead to death.
Why Professionals Can Handle Sewage Cleanup
The professionals who undertake sewage cleanup have undergone extensive training to do so safely.
They use powerful safety equipment and have the high-quality tools necessary for effective cleanup. While many things around the home can be a do-it-yourself project, sewage cleanup is never one of them.
Do You Have More Questions About the Dangers of Sewage Cleanup?
Sewage cleanup presents many direct and indirect adverse effects on human and animal health. Those mentioned above are only the most significant threats.
Do you have more questions about the dangers of sewage cleanup? Do you need professional assistance with a sewage backup?
Contact us today. One of our team members can answer any questions you still have or set you up an appointment if desired.