Montreal public health officials are warning residents in flood-affected zones to be wary of what might be lurking in floodwaters.
“Some people might think: ‘that’s just coming in from the river, we don’t need to be too worried about what’s in it,'” said Dr. David Kaiser with Montreal Public Health.
But Kaiser explained that during flooding, it’s difficult to know where the water came from and what it came in contact with.
“There can be bacteria in there, there can be sewage that’s mixed up in there, there can be chemicals and stuff that’s in peoples’ garages and basements,” he said, adding it should be considered contaminated.
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To avoid getting sick, Kaiser recommends avoiding coming into contact with the water, and to wear protective clothing when cleaning up.
“All the things that come with contaminated water, people need to avoid touching it,” he said. Instead, when working in places that have been touched by floodwater, protective gear like gloves, masks — especially the N95 respirator mask — and boots should be worn, he said.
On its website, the American Food and Drug Adminstration describes the N95 respirator as a “respiratory protective device designed to achieve a very close facial fit and very efficient filtration of airborne particles.”
Potential health risks of coming into contact with contaminated water include gastrointestinal infections and skin problems.
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But those aren’t the only risks facing flood-affected homes.
Kaiser said that when there are power cuts linked to flooding, the temptation can be high to use generators, space heaters or oil-powered equipment indoors.
“That is really something that shouldn’t be done, because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning,” he cautioned.
Even after the water recedes, the troubles aren’t over yet. Homeowners need to be on the lookout for mold growth.
“If you’re coming back into a home that’s had water in it, everything that’s been affected by water needs to be inspected,” Kaiser said, adding it’s important to let specialists do the cleaning up especially if there’s a lot of mould or a large area that has been affected by water.
“Everything needs to be dried out, everything needs to be done properly so that the structure holds and so there aren’t risks for people’s health,” he said.
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The hazards of flooding aren’t limited to people’s physical health, though.
“There’s a lot of anxiety — that is the dominant emotion, Kaiser said. “In some cases that can be something that is manageable, but we know that in these contexts it is something that if it goes on for too long, or if people are losing house and home, that can overwhelm people’s coping mechanism.”
Kaiser said people shouldn’t hesitate to reach out for help, that resources are on the ground to assist flood victims.
“The message is really call for help before you reach that point.”
The number to call for any health-related queries across Quebec is 811.
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