Water damage does a lot more than spell doom for your property’s appeal and structure. It can also have a negative effect on your family’s health, leaving you with a lot more to deal with. If you weren’t aware of this, and you’d like to understand just what the health implications of water damage are to your family’s health, keep reading to see some of the effects that you may need to watch out for.
Respiratory Infections
The first and most common issue that could be caused by water damage to the health of your family is respiratory infections. These are likely issues because one of the main outcomes of water damage is the growth of mold and the spread of microbial particles in the air. Mold releases its spores into the air, and if these are breathed in by people, they can lead to a number of issues. These include irritated skin and eyes, headaches, wheezing, nausea, and even insomnia, among others.
These symptoms may be mild in healthy individuals, but in people with issues like asthma, they could be a bit more severe. They’re also going to get a lot worse if the issue is something like bronchitis, and it’s not handled fast. This is something that you should do your best to lower the likelihood of happening by preventing water damage from taking place in the first place. This is a common problem, with 14,000 people in the United States experiencing an emergency related to water damage either at work or at home every single day.
Allergies
Water damage can also lead to allergies in your family, with the results being sneezing, eye irritation, stuffy and runny nose, and an itchy, scratchy throat. These allergies can affect sensitive people as well as healthy individuals. If you notice them start and worsen over time, it’s important to check your house thoroughly to make sure that no mold has developed as a result of the humidity. Keep in mind that about 15% of homes in the United States have a water leak, according to Gitnux. This means that plumbing repair is quite a significant market, and it implies that you need to check your home’s plumbing thoroughly, especially if your family starts showing signs of allergies.
Skin Infections
If the water that has damaged your home is contaminated and dirty, it could expose you and your family to skin infections if they come into contact with it. This should make you understand the importance of getting out of the way of water that flows into your home and causes damage to it, whether it appears dirty or not. It’s urgent enough to stay out of the way of such water, especially if you have no idea where it came from. Even if it’s from your own home’s plumbing, you shouldn’t take chances and interact with it in any way.
Gastrointestinal Issues
Finally, water damage can lead to gastrointestinal issues for your family if it somehow gets ingested. This is a result of the possible bacteria and other microorganisms that may start breeding rapidly in the wake of water damage. These pathogens may also be carried into your home in the water, especially if it’s gray or even black water. Both these types of water have waste in them as they’ve been used and haven’t yet been treated. As such, it’s crucial that you warn your family not to attempt to interact with any water that floods your home or damages it in one way or another.
To lower your chances of ending up with water damage without knowing it, it’s a good idea that you keep track of your home’s water usage. On this note, you could benefit from learning that a family of three uses around 225 gallons of water every single day, according to the United States Department of Energy. This way, if there’s a hidden leak, you’ll have a great chance of learning about it before it gets out of hand.
