Former Category 4 hurricane Hilary has brought heavy rainfall to parts of the southwestern United States, causing extensive flooding in some areas. But what health risks does floodwater pose?
Hilary made landfall along the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico on Sunday morning as a tropical storm, before its center moved up through Southern California and Nevada.
The storm has continued to weaken and, early Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) downgraded Hilary to a "post-tropical cyclone".
However, the latest NHC public advisory, issued at 2 a.m. PT/5 a.m. ET Monday, said "continued life-threatening and locally catastrophic flooding" is expected over portions of the southwestern U.S. today.
Health Risks of Floodwater
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says floodwater can potentially expose people to infectious diseases, chemical hazards and injuries, depending on the situation.
While it clearly may not be feasible to completely avoid entering floodwater during a natural disaster, health authorities recommend staying out of it whenever possible.
Aside from the obvious drowning risk, floodwater may contain any number of hazards that are harmful to health, including:
- Human and livestock waste, which contain pathogens that can cause disease
- Household, medical and industrial hazardous waste
- Coal ash waste that can contain carcinogenic compounds, such as arsenic, chromium, and mercury
- Other contaminants that can result in illness
- Downed power lines, which pose an electrocution risk
- Objects that could cause physical injuries, such as glass or metal fragments
- Wild or stray animals, such as rodents and snakes
Exposure to contaminated floodwater can lead to a variety of health problems, including wound infections, skin rash, gastrointestinal illness, tetanus and a bacterial blood infection known as leptospirosis.
The CDC says the best way to protect yourself from possible contaminants in floodwater is to stay out of it.
But if you do come into contact with floodwater, the CDC recommends washing the exposed area with soap and clean water as soon as possible afterwards. If you do not have soap or water, use alcohol-based wipes or sanitizer.
Wash any clothes contaminated with floodwater in hot water and detergent before reusing them.
If you must enter floodwater, the CDC recommends wearing rubber boots, rubber gloves and goggles wherever possible.
Open wounds and rashes that are exposed to floodwater can become infected. If you want to reduce the chance of infection, cover them with a waterproof bandage, the CDC says. If a wound develops redness, swelling, or oozing, seek medical attention immediately.
Newsweek has contacted the CDC for comment by email.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aristos is a Newsweek science reporter with the London, U.K., bureau. He reports on science and health topics, including; animal, ... Read more
