How To Protect Yourself From Mould After A Flood

Massive flooding most recently in Texas from Hurricane Harvey will inevitably lead to major mould growth inside homes and commercial properties. As first responders prepare to provide emergency assistance, I want to share this short post highlighting the minimum requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE). All persons entering potentially mould contaminated houses should protect themselves using this 4 step process:

1. Gloves
2. P3 half face respirator
3. Goggles
4. Disposable coveralls

Mould will begin growing wherever there is a water source and a food source. After a flood, this means, potentially every porous element inside a house can become mould contaminated. If you are attempting a salvage operation you must take steps to protect yourself from skin (dermal) contact as well as inhalation risk. Once mould is visible to the eye, there will be massive levels of spores that are microscopic, and can’t be seen, but are still present. Mould also produces mycotoxins that in some cases are carcinogenic and at the least, many are known to be neurotoxic, so be careful!

The following articles cover these topics in greater depth.

• Review of health hazards and prevention measures for response and recovery workers and volunteers after natural disasters, flooding, and water damage: mold and dampness. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944034/

• Impacts of flood damage on airborne bacteria and fungi in homes after the 2013 Colorado Front Range flood. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es503845j

• The impact of flood and post-flood cleaning on airborne microbiological and particle contamination in residential houses.
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412014001123?via%3Dihub

• Comparison of nanoparticle filtration performance of NIOSH-approved and CE-marked particulate filtering facepiece respirators.
  https://academic.oup.com/annweh/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/annhyg/men086

More information about the potentially toxic effects from mould are available from:

Biological Health Services
https://www.biologicalhealthservices.com.au