Water Damage Guides · Drying & Mold

Water Damage Health Risks: General Guidance for Louisiana Homeowners

Water damage raises questions about health, and those questions deserve an honest answer about what a restoration guide can and cannot say. A guide can explain, in general terms, how to avoid contact with sewage and floodwater, why flooded buildings should not be entered, and when to seek professional guidance. What it cannot do is diagnose anyone, assess health effects for a particular household, or give medical advice, and this guide does not try to do any of those things.

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What follows is general guidance only. Avoid contact with sewage and floodwater, do not enter flooded buildings, and seek professional guidance when the situation calls for it. Health questions belong to a medical professional. The sewage cleanup page covers the professional handling of contaminated water, and the same guidance applies in New Orleans and in Baton Rouge.

General guidance only

The most important thing to understand about this guide is its limit. It offers general guidance about water damage and the precautions that apply in general terms, and it does not offer a health assessment for any person or any property. Whether water damage in a particular home is affecting anyone's health depends on the people in the household, the extent of the damage, and the nature of the water involved, and those are matters for a medical professional who can consider the individuals concerned. No claim is made here about health effects, and no diagnosis is offered.

That limit is not a way of avoiding the question. It is the honest position, because a general article cannot know who lives in your home, what their circumstances are, or what they have been exposed to. What a restoration guide can do, and what this one does, is set out the precautions that apply in general terms, and point to the professional guidance that settles the question for your household. If anyone in the household has health concerns after water damage, speak to a medical professional directly.

Avoid contact with sewage and floodwater

Avoid contact with sewage and floodwater, because both are treated as Category 3 black water, which is grossly contaminated. Floodwater may carry sewage, chemicals and debris, and sewage is contaminated by definition, and there is no way to tell from looking at the water what it contains. Avoiding contact means not stepping in the water, not touching it, not trying to clean it up yourself, and keeping children and pets away from the affected area. It also means not handling items that have been in the water, because they are contaminated too.

The same caution applies to the air in the affected rooms and to the materials the water has touched. Do not use a household vacuum on standing water, because it can spread contamination through the air and through the machine, and do not tear out materials yourself, because that can spread growth and contamination to other parts of the property. The flood damage cleanup page covers flood cleanup in general terms, and the water damage restoration page outlines the wider process.

Water Damage Health Risks: General Guidance for Louisiana Homeowners — Louisiana water damage guide

Do not enter flooded buildings

Do not enter a flooded building, and do not handle electrics in or near standing water. A flooded building may have structural damage, hidden hazards under the water, and electrical dangers that cannot be seen from the doorway, and entering it puts the person entering at risk in ways that have nothing to do with the water itself. Do not wade through floodwater to reach another part of the house if there is another way round, and if there is no dry route, call for help rather than wading through. If a person is at risk, or there is a danger from gas or electrics, call 911 first, then the utility, and leave the property.

The rule applies to rooms where the water is deep enough to hide what is under it, and to any room where the water has reached electrical items. If it is safe to do so from a dry place, the power can be switched off at the main breaker, and the water can be shut off at the main shut-off, also from a dry place. Those are the only electrical and water actions a homeowner should consider, and only when they can be done without entering the water or touching anything wet. If you are unsure whether a place is dry and safe, do not attempt it.

Damp, mold and the building

Damp and mold in a home after water damage are a problem for the building, and this guide deals with them as a building problem. Moisture left in drywall, wood and flooring can allow growth, and the growth and the damp behind it need to be dealt with by a professional, promptly and properly, rather than left to spread. The mold removal and remediation page describes the professional response, and the structural drying and dehumidification page explains the drying work. No claim is made here about health effects, and no health advice is offered about mold, because those questions belong to a medical professional.

The practical advice that follows from that position is simple: avoid disturbing the affected area, keep children and pets away from it, and do not spend time in a room where growth is extensive until someone has looked at it. Do not try to clean up a large affected area yourself, and do not assume that a surface that has been wiped clean is a problem solved, because the moisture behind it may still be there. Homes in Lafayette and Shreveport are handled the same way.

When to seek professional guidance

Seek professional guidance promptly when the water came from a flood or a sewage backup, when the loss is large or has reached several rooms, when growth is extensive or in the rooms the household uses every day, or when the damp has been present for a while. Those are the situations where the problem is most likely to extend beyond what is visible, and where a proper inspection and plan make the most difference. Professional guidance here means two kinds of advice, and they should not be confused: a restoration professional can advise on the property, and a medical professional can advise on health questions.

When you call a restoration professional, describe what happened as plainly as you can: when the water event occurred, where the water came from, which rooms were affected, and whether anyone has come into contact with the water. That helps the inspection start in the right place. The same steps apply in Lake Charles and across Louisiana, and the sewage cleanup page is the place to start when contaminated water is involved.

Key Takeaways

The most important thing to understand about this guide is its limit.
Avoid contact with sewage and floodwater, because both are treated as Category 3 black water, which is grossly contaminated.
Do not enter a flooded building, and do not handle electrics in or near standing water.
Damp and mold in a home after water damage are a problem for the building, and this guide deals with them as a building problem.
Seek professional guidance promptly when the water came from a flood or a sewage backup, when the loss is large or has reached several rooms, when growth is extensive or in the rooms the household uses every day, or when the damp has been present for a while.

Questions About Water Damage Health Risks: General Guidance for Louisiana Homeowners

What are the health risks of water damage?

This guide makes no health claims and gives no medical advice. Health questions belong to a medical professional. What can be said in general terms is to avoid contact with sewage and floodwater and not to enter flooded buildings.

Is it safe to stay in a home after water damage?

No article can give a safety verdict for a specific property. The answer depends on the extent of the damage, which rooms are affected, and who lives in the household. Call a professional for guidance about the property.

Should I clean up floodwater myself?

No. Floodwater is treated as Category 3 black water, and cleanup is professional-only work. Avoid contact with the water, do not enter the flooded building, and call a professional.

Who should I ask about health concerns?

A medical professional. A restoration professional can advise on the property, and a medical professional can advise on health questions for the people in the household.

Your Next Step

If this guide matches what you found at home, the next step is a visit — not a guess. Call and describe what you found, and the visit is arranged from what you describe. The Emergency Water Removal page explains what that service covers, and the water damage restoration page explains how the full sequence works when water has reached more than one room.

Do not enter flooded rooms while you wait, and if water is leaking, turn off the shut-off valve for that fixture where you can reach it safely from dry ground.

Keep the guides on this site bookmarked: the first guide, the signs guide, and the preparation guide cover the checks worth repeating — after moving in, and after bringing used fixtures home.

Water damage help is available across Louisiana. See water damage restoration in Maurice, LA for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.