Hilary Flooding Has Experts Worried About Floodwater Toxicity as CDC Says It Can Cause Infectious Diseases, Injuries, and Chemical Hazards

(Photo : Unsplash / Mika Baumeister)

Hilary is a former Category 4 hurricane that brought flooding and heavy rainfall to many parts of the southwestern states. As such, experts are warning that floodwater could be toxic and can cause infectious diseases among others.

Effects of Hilary

Hilary did much damage around the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico, causing landfall due to its tropical storm. After that, it headed to Southern California and Nevada where it weakened and was given a "post-tropical cyclone" categorization by the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Despite receiving a downgraded categorization, the NHC public advisory said it could still cause life-threatening flooding and is expected to continue to the southwest part of the US. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), floodwater can cause potential harm to people.

Although it could be impossible to avoid floodwater in certain areas, health authorities still recommend that citizens try to stay away from it as much as possible. The CDC points out that exposure to contaminated floodwater can lead to multiple health problems.

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Floodwater Risk

According to health experts, contaminated floodwater exposure can lead to wound infections, gastrointestinal illness, and even tetanus above the typical skin rash. In worst cases, it can lead to leptospirosis, which is a bacterial blood infection.

The CDC says that the best way to avoid contaminants is to stay out of floodwater. This is also because it's almost impossible to tell dirty floodwater compared to clean floodwater since most contaminants tend to be hidden.

In many instances, floodwater can carry human or livestock feces and can also include industrial and medical hazardous waste. Debris could even include asbestos or other harmful materials or wild animals like rodents or carcasses.

However, since it's almost impossible to completely stay away, the CDC has also released a list of possible solutions to deal with the contaminated water. The health authority also emphasizes the importance of cleaning one's clothes after contact with contaminated water.

Dealing with Contamination

The first thing individuals should do when being exposed to contaminated floodwater is to wash the area that was exposed with soap and clean water. For those who don't have access to soap, using alcohol-based wipes or sanitizer is another way to deal with the possible contamination.

Another important practice is to wash the contaminated clothes with hot water and detergent before using them again. However, the CDC recommends that people also use rubber boots, rubber gloves, raincoats, and other forms of protective wear when going out into the floodwater.

One particularly important practice is to keep open wounds and rashes away from floodwater since they have the highest risk of infection. To reduce the possibility of infection, the CDC recommends using waterproof bandages on the affected area.

Should the wound become red, swell up, or start to ooze, the CDC recommends that the person seek immediate medical attention.