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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Are you tired of Zoom-ing with your colleagues, rather than meeting in-person? Getting sick of your pajama pants and ratty old t-shirts? Ready to actually get in your car, drive to the office, and stay there for eight hours? You may never have thought that you’d miss your cubicle, but in a post-COVID-19 world, everything seems upside down.
The good news is that you might be heading back to the office very soon. But the CDC is warning that there are plenty of risks involved in reintegration – and not just the risk of becoming infected with coronavirus. Read on for more information.
Two Microbial Hazards to Watch Out For
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are two potential hazards associated with reopening a building that has been shut and unoccupied for several months. Both of them have to do with the water systems inside these structures.
Toxic Mold
One hazard is mold. As you’re probably already aware, mold can present serious problems to both the integrity of the building and to human health. Existing moisture, such as from condensation, leaks, or flooding, creates an environment that’s hospitable to mold spores. Mold can grow on drywall, carpet, ceiling tiles, wallpaper, insulation, fabric, and other surfaces that make up commercial buildings.
Maintaining a safe working environment means regular mold testing and remediation, if necessary. Nowadays, this is even more important than ever. People who are immunocompromised or who have respiratory ailments like asthma or COPD could become very ill if they work in a mold-contaminated building.
Legionnaire’s Disease
The second possible hazard is the bacteria called Legionella. While these bacteria originate in natural sources of water such as streams and lakes, it can lead to a public health issue – Legionnaires’ disease – since it can also spread through plumbing systems.
The fact that buildings have been unoccupied means that water temperatures in those systems are no longer regularly reaching temperatures that are inhospitable to Legionella. In addition, levels of chlorine and other disinfectants have dropped, leaving the pipes and eventually the people in the building vulnerable to Legionnaires’.
This disease begins as a lung infection, and can develop into a form of pneumonia. Symptoms include shortness of breath, cough, fever, aches, diarrhea, nausea, and confusion.
How Can We Combat These Hazards?
Health officials caution that allowing workers to return to buildings that haven’t been occupied since March, or that have only seen low occupancy, could be dangerous. There are steps that building owners can take, however, to ensure the safety of employees, clients, and guests alike.
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Flush the water system through all points of use, with both hot and cold water
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Thoroughly clean and disinfect ice makers, discarding old ice
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Clean, disinfect, and flush fountains and other decorative water features
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Disinfect all sinks, drains, showers, eye wash stations, spas, and hot tubs
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Clean fire sprinkler systems
It is also advisable to bring in the professionals, say the plumbing experts at https://www.fixitrightplumbing.com.au/. Plumbers, commercial cleaning companies, and mold testing agencies should be among the first calls you make as you begin the process of opening a building that’s been closed for any length of time.
For more information, see the Environmental Protection Agency’s guidelines for remediating water quality issues before reopening commercial and industrial facilities.