After a flooding event a sewage contamination inspection in residential and commercial properties has become a common occurrence to safeguard the health and well being of occupants. These inspections are a small price to pay for protecting people from the health effects that can come from being exposed to dangerous microorganisms and other contaminants.

Gastrointestinal illnesses and other adverse health effects can result from flooding in buildings when the water is contaminated with sewage. This can occur from flooding caused by sewage pipe backups, leaking sewer lines and from exterior flooding when contaminated waters enter a building.

The lists of microorganisms and contaminants that can be found in sewage and pollute a building are numerous. They range from fungi, bacteria, protozoa to dangerous viruses. Sewage, or black water, may also be contaminated with pollutants that contain residuals from medicines, household cleaners and industrial waste.

One of the main dangers from sewage contamination comes from the ingestion or inhalation of infected materials. As certain microorganisms grow they may release contaminates into the air, this is also the case when a flooded area is disturbed during post flood cleaning. Also anyone that touches any contaminated services has the risk of ingesting contaminates by touching their mouths and rubbing their eyes.

Testing for sewage contamination after a leak or flood typically involves testing for a suite of organisms know as sewage indicator organisms. There are a host of organisms that can be associated with sewage, but there are specific organisms that can be found in high levels that are fairly unique to sewage produced by warm blooded animals.

Several of the most commonly tested sewage indicator organisms include E. coli and Enterococci. Both of these are types of bacteria that are typically found in high numbers in the lower intestinal tracks of mammals, including humans.

The risks associated with sewage spills include exposure to infectious microorganisms and endotoxins contained in some of the bacteria. These biological contaminants can cause gastrointestinal illness.

Sewage contamination can often be difficult to distinguish between flooding from non-contaminated water sources. Affordable testing procedures are available by qualified professionals and accredited laboratories to determine if sewage contamination is present.