Eric Ernest, M.D., assistant professor of emergency medicine in the College of Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, discusses things people should consider regarding health risks associated with exposure to contaminated flood water and other health risks during clean-up.
Here is a Dropbox link to video featuring Dr. Eric Ernest:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/w3j22p2yf0d5tau/AACcVjvLq2u0-jYGqS2Um4S3a?dl=0
Below are transcripts:
Eric Ernest1: I don’t remember when my last tetanus shot was and I’m cleaning up my flooded home, should I just get another one?
“The question of tetanus shot and any kind of vaccinations especially when dealing with any kind of flood recovery or clean-up efforts we always have to be worried about the exposure to communicable diseases when we are going into those environments. Anytime there is standing flood water there’s a whole host of pathogens that can be transmitted to the human body by going into water, especially if you have any open cuts, sores things of that nature. So tetanus is always a big one, we would consider any kind of injury sustained while working within flood waters to be a high risk injury for tetanus. There’s also the risk of things like hepatitis and whatnot. So the big question especially for a lot of our rescue workers was do they need their tetanus updated, if it was so many years ago. So kind of the general rule of thumb is that you should have a tetanus update every ten years. That being said if you sustain an injury during clean-up operations, you’re wading through the flood waters of your home and say you get cut on a leg or something like that it would be something where you need to probably consult with your health care practitioner and if it’s within kind of that five year time frame that you haven’t had it or less or excuse me or more that you would need to go and probably have it updated again just because you sustained a high-risk injury.”
Eric Ernest2: What kind of personal protective equipment should I wear when cleaning up my flooded home?
“We really want to think of protecting all of our body surfaces when we’re going into these environments. So realizing that there are structural hazards, especially if you are going into your home that your house may have sustained either structural or foundation damage. So making sure that you’re wearing things like a hard hat, safety goggles and then also protection of your skin. So making sure that especially if there is any standing flood water that you are wearing things like rubber boots. Also if you have the option to have something with a hardened toe, like a steel toe, to prevent crush injury. And also kind of like waders or something to protect your skin if you’re going through those flood waters, very, very important. Making sure you are wearing gloves any time you are touching those surfaces. Again we have to think about things like mold and bacteria that if you are touching those surfaces you can pick those up, transmit those to yourself, to people that you are caring for, children, loved ones, things of that nature. And then also you have to worry about the respiratory aspect of that as well, realizing that things like mold spores and other things are within the air, especially if you are kind of stirring things up, or cleaning things pulling stuff out of the house, that a lot of that stuff gets aerosolized and put into the air and so we recommend really at least a N95 level mask or respirator or higher. So your simple like mask that you use like if you’re sanding wood or something, a simple face mask probably not enough protection. That really that N95 or higher level of protection is going to be important when doing that kind of recovery work.”
Eric Ernest 3: What kinds of unseen bacteria or other things are in the flood water that could be on my personal property that I should be aware of?
“So in considering the different types of things we can be exposed to from the flood water or after the flood water has receded, a big thing would be mold especially black mold. Any time something is left wet and damp for long periods of time the risk of mold goes up significantly. There’s lots of things that can get into the water especially areas along the Platte and Missouri River or other areas where the waste water treatment plants have been shut down, those waters are considered contaminated with raw sewage. And so things like hepatitis, there’s a whole host of different types of bacteria, viruses and whatnot that especially if you have open wounds, or if it gets in through the mouth and into the airway, those would all be considered highly infectious. And so again taking precautions to protect yourself from those and then obviously if you are exposed to those things, so say you are wading through the flood waters and you get a rash or your open wound that you had before you even started now starts to look infected that’d be a time to go into the hospital or to the doctor’s office and have that evaluated and start on appropriate antibiotics.”
Eric Ernest4: If I have no choice but to wade through stagnant flood water as I clean up, what should I look for on my skin afterwards?
“So if you are in the process of cleaning up your home or a business and you’re having to wade through those stagnant flood waters especially if they haven’t receded yet, making sure that you’re using personal protective equipment as much as possible to make sure that water can’t get on your skin. If for some reason you do get splashed or it penetrates through your pants or something else, obviously things that we want to look for any kind of rash, redness, any kind of oozing from a wound, things of that nature. The skin by itself, as long as it’s intact does a pretty good job at protecting us. But especially in these what we consider very contaminated flood waters with things like human waste and other things, the risk of infection can be very high. So, after you’re done with clean up you know making sure that you’re washing with clean water, soap and if you’re still noticing a rash, a wound, say an old wound that looks infected all those would be situations where you need to get evaluated by a medical professional.”
Eric Ernest5: What other health hazards are you seeing or hearing about that folks need to be aware of due to the recent flooding?
“So in terms of general health hazards obviously there’s the direct exposure from flood waters as we previously talked about in terms of infectious disease risk, tetanus, things of that nature. We also have to remember that just like with any strenuous activity that if you’re trying to clean up your house that be mindful of your own limitations. What we will see, just like when we get heavy snows or anything else, that people go out and try to over exert themselves, and do physical activity that they’re normally not used to. So if you’re lifting big and heavy objects using good lifting techniques, using a partner, having people help you. Also, making sure you’re taking frequent breaks. Although it’s not that hot outside right now access to good clean water, make sure you don’t get dehydrated. Making sure that you’re eating frequent meals and whatnot, just some of those general common sense things that when you’re doing strenuous activities making sure you’re keeping those things in mind. And then also just being aware of your surroundings, a lot of people don’t understand that floods can produce a wide variety of damage and unseen hazards that we don’t otherwise think about. So things that can be floating in the water, sharp objects, certainly wild animals things of that nature that we don’t normally come into contact with that we are not at risk for if we are going into those flood damaged areas.”
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Emergency Medicine Professor Discusses Health risks associated with flood water
