Hazards of Water Damage

Mold Growth

Where there is moisture, there will be mold. Unfortuantely, if you experience water damage from a flood, the issue of mold is the bigger concern, because there is so much moisture to promote mold growth. Mold is a problem because it can cause illness, and this is the primary reason you want to prevent mold from growing. Exposure to mold can affect many of your body’s systems, including vascular, digestive, respiratory, neurological, skin, urinary, reproductive and immune.

Bacterial Growth

One of the main priorities of a restoration contractor is to determine the category hazard of the water:

• Category 1 – Clean water – Faucet lines (drinking water)
• Category 2 – Grey water – Appliances (washing machine)
• Category 3 – Black water – Sewage (toilet)

This is especially important, because the worst type of water is black water, which can cause some serious health conditions: gastorenteritis, Weil’s Disease (aka Leptospirosis, Hepatitis, acute respiratory illness and tetanus.

The number one rule about water damage is the longer you wait, the worse it will get. This is particularaly true when you are trying to prevent hazardous bacteria from growing. Category 1 water can turn into category 2 water and eventually category 3 water, which is the most toxic and causes many illnesses.

Structural Damage

Water damage can impact the structural integrity of a property because large amounts of water can degrade the strength of the materials. This is particularly true when mold begins to grow, because mold feeds on the material and will continue to feed until it has finished consuming the material. This is the reason wood will rot when mold contaminates it. As the wood is consumed and begins to rot, this will negatively impact the structural integrity of the home, creating a health hazard. Not to mention, rotting wood will reduce the value of the property as well.

Source: What are the Top 3 Water Damage Hazards? – Blog – Mold b Gone