&EPA
Flood Cleanup
and the Air
in Your Home
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EPA402-K-06-006
Flood Cleanup and the
Air in Your Home
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Air and Radiation
Indoor Environments Division
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Mailcode: 6609J
Washington, DC 20460
www.epa.gov/iaq
This booklet tells you how to clean
up after a flood and how to prevent
indoor air problems.
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What can happen to the air
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in your home after a flood?
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Flood water can make the air in your home
unhealthy. This is because when things get wet for
more than 2 days they usually get moldy. There may
also be germs and bugs in your home after a flood.
Glean and dry your house and
everything in it.
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Mold may be more
likely to make some
people with asthma,
allergies, or other
breathing problems sick.
Talk to your doctor or another
medical professional if you have
questions about cleaning or working
in a home that has been flooded.
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If there is a large amount of mold, you may want to
hire professional help to clean up the mold.
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Glean and dry
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Glean up mold and germs from the flood water. Fix
any leaking pipes and other water problems and then
dry things, or the mold will grow again.
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When cleaning
Wear an N-95
respirator.
Wear goggles.
Wear gloves so
that you don't
touch mold with
your bare hands.
Wear long pants,
a long-sleeved
shirt, and boots
or work shoes.
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Ghoose goggles without vent holes, so the mold
doesn't get in your eyes.
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N-95 respirator
N-95 Respirator
N-95 Respirator
Wear a respirator, an "N-95 respirator," mask over
your mouth and nose, so that you do not breathe in a
lot of mold. A respirator that protects against mold is
called an N-95 respirator.
A dust mask
or handkerchief
will not protect
you because
mold can pass
through it.
Handerchief
or Bandana
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Hardware stores usually sell N-95
respirators. Only use a respirator that says
N-95 on the package.
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Throw away
anything that was wet
with flood water and
can't be cleaned.
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Glean and dry hard surfaces such as showers, tubs,
and kitchen countertops. If something is moldy, and
can't be cleaned and dried, throw it away. Use a
detergent or use a cleaner that kills germs.
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Do not mix cleaning
products together or add
bleach to other chemicals.
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Sometimes the
power goes out after a
flood. So, some people
use machines called
portable generators
for electricity during
flood cleanup.
The exhaust, or
fumes, from a
portable generator
could kill you in
minutes if you breathe
it in! Use portable
generators OUTSIDE
and far away from
buildings.
i i
.
Portable Generator
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Do not use portable generators inside your house
or garage. Do not put portable generators on
balconies or near doors, vents, or windows. Do not
use portable generators near where you or your
children are sleeping.
Do not use a portable generator:
near a window.
in your home.
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Do not use a portable generator:
between buildings that
are close together.
on a balcony.
in a garage.
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For more information contact the
>• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
To get/ree brochures or talk to a person about indoor
air and floods, call EPA's free hotline at
* 1-800-438-4318
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To get information from EPA on the Internet, go to
> www.epa.gov/iaq/flood
for this booklet and more indoor air information
>• www.epa.gov/naturalevents/flooding.html
for flood information
> www.epa.gov/hurricanes
for hurricane information
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Notes
To get more information from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) on the Internet, go to
». www.bt.cdc.gov/floods
for flood information
» www.bt.cdc.gov/hurricanes
for hurricane information
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