by Christa Visperas

Created on: November 05, 2008

Water damage is a known problem. There is no mystery to it anymore, one would normally think. After all, its causes are known, its manifestations are familiar, and its resulting consequence is an unpleasant reality of life. The formula is simply: when water is not containable anymore, it can destroy properties and structures, and can incur cost to property owners unless the damage is fixed.

However, there is one aspect of water damage that is often overlooked but can cause really serious consequences it can cause diseases and severe health issues to humans. Imagine this post-water damage scenario: an innocuous plumbing leak has been plaguing your bathroom for some time now, you finally decide to ask experts' help on fixing this, the plumber comes in to tidy things up, and lo and behold! Your problem disappears, right? Right and more: your household and even the plumber effortlessly exposed yourselves to the potential threat of respiratory diseases.

How's this possible? Water, as we know, can sustain life. If it can sustain human life, then it can sustain . . . fungal life. That's right. After a water damage manifestation, moisture is available in otherwise dry places. The moisture coupled with organic substrates is nurtured by time to breed mold spores. Germinated fungal spores will grow and amplify in these places until one day the predominance of mold will evolve into allergenic, toxigenic health threats. Originally a water damage incident, now a fungal infestation producing bacterial toxins!

High exposure to these mold infestations can lead to respiratory diseases. If a person has chronic asthma or lung allergies, then these fungal problems can exacerbate the problem further. Even worse, debilitating conditions such as Organic Dust Toxic Syndrome (ODTS) and Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP) can be acquired when humans are exposed.

The threat of exposure is real enough and serious enough that some State Health Departments and organizations are scrambling to setup guidelines to protect mold-exposed workers, but the efforts are still at infancy. First, there is no established maximum human exposure limit yet, how much and how often should one be exposed to be considered at risk? As such, there is also no clear-cut guideline on the adequacy of protective gear worn by mold workers.

One thing is certain, however, the extent of water damage can be a good indication of the amount of mold infestation. So basement flooding is naturally a perfect breeding ground for fungal colonies that could raise an army of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria and Stachybotrys, among other bacteria/toxins. Pretty neat, but pretty scary.

Again, this goes back to the "prevention is cure" dictum. Avoid water damage like the plague. Safeguard your home against it. And if unavoidable, launch immediate efforts to fix the damage. Remember, time is the nurturer of these molds, so the earlier water damage to areas of the house has been cleaned up, the better. And lastly, when there is already a presence of molds in the area, never underestimate them. They may be silent and unmoving, but they are alive and can do serious damage to your health, more than water damage to your house.

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