Health Risks Associated with Water Damage: What to Know

Water damage needs to be taken care of immediately after it happens, whether you have a pipe leak or a flooded basement.

If left untreated, you will have aesthetic and structural damage, a lower property value, and expensive restoration to take care of.

But something else that’s less thought about are the health risks linked to water damage.

Not today! Let us walk you through just how bad of an environment can water damage form. You don’t want to miss this. 

mold inspection

1. Mold and Mildew

You will inevitably have mold and mildew after untreated or inadequately treated water damage. Mold can start growing in as little as 1-2 days following water damage, and it’s something you should worry about. 

Mold spores can attack any surface in your home, regardless of what it’s made of. 

Unfortunately, some mold spores contain neurotoxins. Neurotoxins are linked to severe respiratory health problems. Short-term exposure can cause allergies, headaches, migraines, and congestion. 

This makes it imperative not only to clear up the water damage but also to ensure that there is no trapped moisture on your belongings, behind walls, carpeting, and so on. 

Calling the Vetted Los Angeles Restorations professionals ensures your house is thoroughly inspected and treated to remove mold and mildew development risks following water damage. 

2. Vermin and Pest Infestation

Water damage can create a moist environment that makes your home attractive to vermin and pests such as silverfish, roaches, beetles, drain flies, and caterpillar ants. 

Rodents can also invade your home looking for water. It’s also common to see moths and earwigs after water damage. 

One of the warning signs of an infestation is a strange, unpleasant smell, droppings, or scratching from the inside of your walls. 

All these vermin and pests carry disease-causing pathogens. Their droppings can also cause various ailments when they come into contact with food and drink. Most of these pests also negatively impact your home’s air quality. 

3. Health Risks from Dirty Water

Leaking pipes can allow contaminants into your drinking water. 

Dirty drinking water leaves you vulnerable to multiple health risks. These include typhoid, dysentery, and even diseases of the brain, kidneys, and lungs. 

Contaminated water also hurts your immune system, opening you up to a myriad of health conditions and ailments. You can also suffer from cholera, vomiting, diarrhea, and scarlet fever if your drinking water gets contaminated. The latter leaves you with mouth sores and a body rash.

Lastly, contaminated water can cause leptospirosis. This nasty bacteria causes severe inflammation, fever, and jaundice. 

4. Electrical Shock

Water and electricity don’t mix well. This makes electrical shock a common danger of water damage. 

When water comes into contact with electrical wiring, it can create a dangerous current. Water damage can also create fires by causing electrical appliances to short out. 

Small leaks aren’t safe, either. A small leak that goes undetected can corrode exposed wires. This can cause loose or faulty connections, which are also hazardous. 

The risk of water damage reaching your electrical system is an electric shock. Electrocution can leave you severely injured or, worse, dead. 

5. Waterborne Bacterial Pathogens

Once you flush your toilet, the hope is that whatever you flush down goes away for good. Often, this is precisely what happens until there is a mishap. 

A problem with your plumbing can cause your toilet to overflow, causing whatever you have flushed down to come back up the toilet bowl and onto your toilet floor. As you can imagine, this sludge carries dangerous waterborne pathogens. 

These pathogens include strains of Salmonella, E. coli, Vibrio, Shigella, and Campylobacter. 

All of these scientific terms tell us one thing: to call water damage experts who are trained to handle situations like this.

Water Damage Expert Is Just a Phone call Away!

Water damage doesn’t just cause property damage; it can rob you and your loved ones of your health as you know it. This emphasizes the need to have any water damage taken care of professionally immediately after it happens. 

We have highly skilled, motivated, quick response teams to ensure water damage is contained in the proper manner and in the shortest timelines possible. Call us immediately if you have water damage, and let us do what we do best. 

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