One of the most common floods that can happen in your home or business is a backed up toilet. The problem with this is that the urine and feces contain bacteria which can cause some serious health problems for people with Asthma and Allergies. This type of a flood needs to be investigated by an Environmental Professional who is aware of the Total Coliform Test. This test is used to evaluate the area after a sewage flood. It is also used to identify the type of sewage contamination which can have public health issues associated with some organisms potentially found in sewage.
The following can be found in a toilet overflow:
Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Shigella. These are really nasty organisms and can cause serious health problems for some people. This is in additional to doing a Mold Investigation. For additional information on Sewage Contamination go to the CDC or Centers For Disease Control Website.
This type of testing tells you how far the fecal matter contaminated water has traveled and how badly contaminated the area really is. According to the US Gypsum, all drywall that is contaminated with Brown Water (fecal matter), must be removed completely. So if you have a Bathroom and a Hallway that was flooded and tests positive for E-Coli, you have to remove all the lower two feet of the drywall. If it has wicked up the wall, the standard procedure is to go two feet up beyond the highest damaged drywall area. For more information about Sewage Contaminated Drywall go to the US Gypsum Website.
The total coliform test is a good first response test to help evaluate a sewage contaminated area for the presence of members of the coliform group. The coliform group (which includes E. coli, Salmonella, and Shigella) is a diverse group of organisms that can be found in fecal matter. The homeowner or business owner needs to be aware about how widesread this contaminated water has moved by using this testing protocol by a trained Professional. After the contaminated materials have been removed by a licensed Remediator who specializes in Sewage Cleanup, it then needs to be Decontaminated.
This Decontamination of the area must take place before rebuilding can be done. After the Decon has been done, it is best to retest to verify the Decon job has been done properly and not leaving any residue of fecal matter. This is done to protect the business or homeowner from future liability if the job was done improperly.
In conclusion, a toilet flood with fecal matter and urine is a serious problem and needs to be treated properly. The work needs to be done by a licensed Remediatior who is trained and specializes in Sewage Leaks or Sewage Overflows. First, the damaged area needs to be identified and tested using the Total Coliform Test plus Mold Testing. This identifies how far it has sewage has moved. Then the area needs to be remediatied and Decominated using the proper EPA approved Biocide for the bacteria identified by the Total Coliform Test. After a clearance test for bacter and mold, the area can be rebuilt. If you feel there are additional types of contamination in this area, talk this over with the trained Environmental Professional who can assist you in recommendations of additional tests. If you feel that sewage contamination has made you ill, contact your Doctor immediately.
If you have any questions, feel free to call us or visit our website for more information.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articles23.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
