Water damage is one of the most serious problems you can have in your home, no matter how minor or severe it may be. Whether it’s a tiny leak in your bathroom or a major basement flood, any level of water damage can not only compromise your home’s structure but also the health of everyone in your family.
Every homeowner is bound to experience some degree of mold and water damage at some point, but addressing it right away and hiring a restoration contractor to help with water damage repair and cleanup is absolutely essential to avoiding serious health problems.
Here’s a list of health issues that water damage can cause in your home and how to request an inspection from Power Restoration if you need water and mold removal or repair services.
Allergies
Water problems in your home can generate mold spores that grow and spread. Molds can produce allergens and toxic substances that trigger allergy symptoms when touched or inhaled. Congestion, sneezing, and skin rash are some of the many allergy symptoms you may experience due to ongoing exposure to mold.
Asthma
Asthma is a chronic, life-long condition that has no cure. It is usually managed by avoiding triggers like pet dander, pollen, and mold — the latter of which is one of the most common asthma triggers.
If you have asthma and your home is affected by water damage, you may not find relief until a mold removal service addresses the problem. Complications of severe, uncontrolled asthma include the permanent narrowing of your airways and frequent hospitalizations.
Pneumonitis
Pneumonitis refers to the inflammation of lung tissue. Repeated exposure to molds and bacteria from water damage can cause your lungs to become inflamed and trigger symptoms, including cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue. When water damage in your home goes unaddressed, your pneumonitis can worsen to increase your risk for irreversible lung damage.
Typhoid Fever
Contaminated water — such as sewage water — commonly contains salmonella bacteria. Exposure to salmonella can cause you to develop typhoid, which is a bacterial disease that can cause fever, body aches, diarrhea, and intestinal damage.
Severe typhoid fever may lead to life-threatening complications, including heart inflammation, kidney infections, and meningitis. If you have a flooded basement or backed-up sewage from your pipes, a water and fire damage repair company can address the problem quickly to reduce your risk for typhoid fever.
Leptospirosis
Exposure to contaminated water can also cause leptospirosis—a bacterial disease caused by the Leptospira bacterium. Symptoms of leptospirosis (e.g., fever, headache, vomiting, and diarrhea) are the same as those of many other health problems, which can make it difficult to diagnose and to identify its root cause. When not treated, leptospirosis can lead to complications, including kidney damage, meningitis, and liver failure.
Electric Shock
Water leaks in your home can come into contact with live electrical wires or outlets to trigger sparks and fires or electric shock. Using damaged outlets or flipping switches compromised by water can lead to electric shock and injuries, including burns, cardiac arrest, coma, and death. Also, electrical fires can be tricky and difficult to put out and lead to devastating fire damage and destruction to your home. Fixing water problems early on can help you avoid having to pay for costly fire damage repair and restoration.
Other Health Problems
Other health issues that water damage can cause in your home include:
- Gastroenteritis, also known as the stomach flu
- Hepatitis A, an inflammatory liver condition
- Cholera, a bacterial disease that can cause diarrhea and dehydration
- Dysentery, an inflammatory intestinal condition that can cause bloody diarrhea
- Chronic migraine headaches
If you have ANY type of water damage in your home, water damage cleanup and repair services can help you and your loved ones stay safe and healthy.
Contact Power Restoration at (815) 435-5493 if you need help identifying and repairing water damage in your home. We are a top restoration company in Rockford that offers 24-hour emergency service, water damage cleanup, drywall repair, fire and smoke damage cleanup, black mold removal, and more. We are also IICRC-certified and BBB-accredited and can thoroughly disinfect and sanitize your home after a fire or water incident.