Plumbing problems can cause more than structural or physical damage to your house. They can pose a major threat to your overall health. That means everybody in the household from you, your children and your pets. You have a leaky pipe? You better call the plumber, but you may need to call your doctor as well. There can be severe to minor health concerns associated with a bad pipe. Let’s take a look at some of the potential hazards and familiarise yourself with them.
Leaking Pipes
Leaking pipes go hand in hand with mould. Water damage to your walls, ceilings, floors, under your sink, and other areas are perfect breeding grounds for mould. Mould can grow in two days if there is sufficient moisture for it to breed. That’s not a long time.
Murderous Mould
If you live in a humid environment, you should know that mould is prone to grow if the humidity level gets too high. Condensation forming on your windows is the most obvious way to tell if the humidity inside is too high.
How does mould adversely affect your health? For starters, mould can make your allergies or asthma worse. Symptoms can include coughing, congestion, eye irritation, rashes on your skin, itchiness, a runny nose and asthma attacks. Mould can cause infections and these can lead to other respiratory diseases.
There are more serious aspects to your health caused by mould. Research has shown that there are links between mould and a few other severe conditions. Effects such as fever, vomiting, nose bleeds, headaches, diarrhea, liver infections, fatigue and dizziness are just a few. The presence of mould in a house can cause so many problems. Symptoms can come and go, some can stay. Visits to the doctor can be frustrating because a doctor will not be aware of the presence of mould in your home.
Water Quality
Another problem associated with bad pipes, is the quality of the water. This can be serious or maybe just annoying. Most homes run separate systems for waste and the delivery of fresh water. Any leaks in sewage pipes can cause water contamination. Water that doesn’t smell so good might be a sign that the supply is contaminated.
There are many symptoms and illnesses that you can get from water, such as nausea, rashes, vomiting and sometimes diseases so severe to cause death. Contaminated drinking water can cause long term health problems such as cancer, kidney damage, problems with the nervous system and birth defects.
You can say that plumbers save your life. Comparatively, plumbers are the doctors for your home. Always keep an eye out for leaking pipes or moisture accumulating on your floors, walls and ceilings. If you are suffering from any unusual or inexplicable health problems, see a doctor…and organise a home inspection by your local plumber.