Can COVID-19 Be Contracted Through Sewage? You Be the Judge

Raw sewage and COVID-19. Could it get any worse? Maybe, but as you might agree, this is one unsanitary combination we all want to avoid at any cost.

In this contemporary age of chaos and upheaval, knowledge is crucial. The more we know about the situations facing us in today’s culture, the more we can provide answers with meaning, rather than empty reassurances unfounded in facts.

Though there are many questions on the minds of people today, we’d like to address an issue that could face any of us on a given day. Although uncomfortable, the topic of raw sewage is one that should be discussed, especially given that over 20 million people have been affected by the coronavirus in the United States alone, as of the end of June. And that’s being modest. As such, contact with raw sewage, whether direct or indirect, is a real concern that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Raw Sewage in Connection To Fatal Disease

According to the EPA, there are multiple strands of pathogen-classified contaminants that pollute sewage. While the list seems endless, some of the most common types of toxins found in raw sewage are causes of the following diseases:

• Salmonella Infection
• Typhoid Fever
• Cholera
• Infectious Gastroenteritis
• Hookworm Infection

Though the above is a short list, make no mistake, there are many more disease-causing agents lurking within wastewaters that can easily enter human orifices, causing life-long illnesses, and sometimes, even death.

Coronavirus and Sewage

It may be noted that the coronavirus, though prevalent, did not make the list of diseases able to be contracted through wastewater. Coincidence?

Hardly.

Along with the slew of other disease-causing agents, it should come as no surprise that COVID-19 has, indeed, been detected in fecal matter and sewer water. And although the CDC has, indeed, attempted to calm fears of contracting the disease through human waste, one cannot be so sure. Just turn on the television. Trends and data seem to change every hour. What you once thought was safe may turn out not to have been safe in a matter of a few weeks, or maybe even a few hours.

So, what’s the point? Is it enough that the CDC has confirmed that there have not yet been any sewage-related deaths in connection to COVID-19 as of September 2020? And how, exactly, does all of this information relate to those of us who are not exposed to raw sewage everyday? Does it even matter?

Sewage Risks and Professional Care

Whether or not the coronavirus, or any other disease, can be spread from fecal matter or wastewater should be of the utmost concern to all of us as the risks involved could prove devastating. Regardless of how clean you keep your business or establishment, the truth is that any structure can be prone to the perils of a malfunctioning piping system. And then what?

Aside from pursuing preventative maintenance, there just isn’t much you can do about misaligned pipes, blocked pipes, old pipes, pipes that burst or the like. Therefore, to think that this could never happen to you or your establishment can be, well, very naive, to say the very least.

So, what if a sewer overflow does happen? If it can’t be helped, is there a point in worrying about it? We argue that, yes, there is a reason to be anxious about an impending issue with your sewage system, as it will need to be remediated quickly, professionally and safely.

And that’s where professional clean up comes into play. While it is the duty of your local plumber to check on your sewage system and pipes to ensure they are in working order, professional services involving clean up procedures is absolutely imperative to the health and safety of everyone occupying an affected business or structure.

The quality of cleaning that must take place following a sewer overflow situation cannot be underestimated. To take the chance of contracting a disease, whether it is COVID-19, E.coli or Salmonella infection, even if the risks seem low, is an absolute non-negotiable. The clean up team you hire must be highly-skilled, knowledgeable, professional, well-trained and ready to tackle any and all sewage-related clean up needs for the safety of everyone involved.

How exactly is this accomplished?

Well-trained clean up crews will approach the scene with the equipment, tools and resources to stop the overflow at its source, while containing the water as much as possible. Clean up crews will then discard any materials infected by sewage water that cannot be salvaged, especially highly porous materials, such as wall-to-wall carpeting, to rid the environment of bacteria that may be difficult to kill.

Hard surfaces that are infected are often easily disinfected using specialty solutions concocted by the experts to disintegrate infectious diseases at their source.

All of this points precisely to the reason why the type of clean up crew one chooses to hire is so important. Why put your life, and the lives of those around you, in the hands of someone untrained, who’s only hoping to make a few quick bucks off of a dire situation?

Your Health Is Important

So back to the former question. Can COVID-19 really be contracted through raw sewage?

According to the CDC, there is no evidence for it right now. But don’t get too relaxed. Raw sewage has a track record for enabling disease-causing pathogens to enter the human body through the eyes, nose, ears or mouth. And for that reason, we don’t recommend rolling the dice, here. We urge you to only hire professionals with the training and skills necessary to promote optimal human health.