samedi 23 août 2014

Danger of Flood Water?

Here in Michigan, we just experienced a flood - well, sort of.



It was a very "suburban" sort of disaster. No one died. No one was left homeless. (Well, maybe one or two people in each category, but not much.) Primarily, there was a lot of property damage, most of it in the form of finished and furnished basements that got a lot of water in them. My own home had about 30 inches.



It was a simple enough story to tell. Very heavy rains overstressed the local sewer system, and they started to run backwards, filling our basements with sewer water flowing up from floor drains, toilets, showers, and sinks. Very unpleasant. it lasted a very short time. it started flooding around 7:00 pm. By midnight, the basement had drained.



But residue remained. It was filthy. Mud everywhere.



In the days since, we were inundated again, this time with a barrage of health warnings.



And that is what brings me (back) to a skeptics' forum. Does anyone have any knowledge of how bad is it, really?



We have been told that if it hit the water, it should be thrown out. The health risks can't be overstated, at least if you believe the loudest voices. Clothing, furniture, documents. They all have to go.



I'm skeptical. Yes, we threw away (almost) every book that was flooded. Yes, we cut away all wet drywall. We threw fans on the exposed studs to prevent mold growth. We sprayed down with sanitizer from a professional company. Sofas with foam cushions....gone. But I have been told that isn't enough.



For anything I felt like saving, I took a whole bunch of bleach to it. Camp furniture. Backpacks. Dishes. Bookcases (wood, not particle board. The particle board one were tossed. The piles of trash in our suburb were truly impressive.) Some people say that we are risking our lives by holding on to it.



Is it really as bad as all that? Does anyone have any knowledge not gained from a voice of hysteria on the 11:00 news?



The way I see it, that muck on my floor was not human waste. It was mud. Unfortunately, there was undoubtedly some human waste mixed in. However, I have raised an infant. I've been around human waste. I have pets. I go camping. I've been around animal waste. I've stepped in dog poop and I didn't throw out my shoes. I clean. I bleach. I put it back in my house.



I'm a little bit squeamish about anything with foam. We have some hockey gear that was soaked in bleach, and I must admit I'm a bit nervous about it. On the other hand, if the waste water could get to it, so could the bleach water. Surely if it doesn't smell funny, it ought to be ok, shouldn't it?



A common response to such lines of inquiry is, "Why take a chance?" Well, it's the same reason I let my kid drive, and walk home after dark. Yes, something bad could happen, but if you live your life in fear, something bad has already happened. I'm willing to take a tiny bit of reasonable risk.



So, does anyone think I'm being way too non-chalant about the dangers of this contaminated stuff. Is there any source of reasonable and prudent dangers and precautions that isn't, "Throw it all away."



Or are the voices of alarm correct. Are we really an epidemic waiting to happen?





via JREF Forum http://ift.tt/1wlNYnn

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