Water Toxins
Water toxins are a pernicious, insidious effect of hurricane disasters. Long after the storm has passed, water toxins will remain behind in flood waters and standing waters; they can contaminate your drinking water and your home. It is of utmost importance to be cognizant of water toxins, since they are difficult to locate, and they can be deadly.
After a hurricane, floodwaters can contain levels of bacteria associated with sewage that are at least ten times higher than acceptable safety levels. Therefore, direct contact with such water toxins should be avoided by rescue workers and residents. Other contaminants, such as lead, are present in high levels, which means that tap water should not be considered as a drinking source. Children are especially susceptible to lead poisoning, and they should not under any circumstances drink from water suspected of being contaminated.
It is important to realize that it is harmful both to drink and to make skin contact with flood water containing toxins. There are unsafe levels of E. coli and other coliform bacteria present in hurricane flood water. The bacteria can cause infections if people have cuts or other open wounds, or if such water is splashed into mouths, noses, or eyes. Besides E. coli and other coliform bacteria, hurricane flood water may contain hundreds of other contaminants in various levels. Symptoms of E. coli ingestions include vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and fever. Any person with such symptoms, or anyone who has had open wounds exposed to flood waters, should seek immediate medical attention.
To lower the risk of such exposure, health and rescue workers must wear protective clothing, including gloves and goggles, whenever they enter flooded areas. Additionally, it is important to find clean, fresh water and soap with which to wash exposed skin as soon as health and rescue work is completed. Of course, it is extremely important to wash hands with clean water and soap before eating.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizer can help attenuate the harmful effects of water toxins and stop the spread of diarrhea and vomiting. However, the best treatment for such symptoms is rest and hydration.
There are more long-term effects of Hurricane disaster water toxins. Arsenic and other similar toxins are often left behind in the wake of such disasters. People may become sick from such toxins for years after the hurricane has passed. Arsenic is a river-bottom sediment. It is a carcinogen, and it causes skin and lung cancer. IT is also a potential teratogen, an agent that causes the malformation of an embryo or fetus. Arsenic can also cause irritations upon skin or eye contact.
The most effective way to avoid exposure to arsenic is to get rid of the contaminated sediment. Proper removal and disposal is pivotal for ridding a community of arsenic contamination after a hurricane has upset the local ecosystem. Arsenic is the most prevalent heavy metal likely to be present in above-acceptable levels in sediment sludge; however, other heavy metals, as well as petroleum products, can pollute hurricane-affected areas.
Residents and rescue workers should consult with their local Red Cross and FEMA representative for the most recent safety and clean-up protocols.
