Septic system contaminants & pathogens FAQs:

This article answers frequently-asked questions about contaminants found in onsite septic systems.

The photo above shows what dirt and sewage effluent may look like in a yard where the sewer line between the house and septic tank is damaged and leaking.

Q&A on Septic Tank & Onsite Septic System Contaminants & Pathogens

Watch out: sewage spills contain contaminants that can cause serious illness or disease. Disease causing agents in raw sewage include bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses and can cause serious illnesses including bacterial infections, Tetanus, Hepatitis A, Leptospirosis, infections by Cryptosporidium & Giardia and gastrointestinal diseases.

On 2018-01-24 by (mod) - Church tries bleach down drains to treat a sewage backup

Angel

Unfortunately, trying to treat the smell of a sewage backup is not a step that will prevent possible health hazards. Worse, if sewage has actually flooded the interior those areas need to be cleaned and disinfected. If sewage entered ceiling, floor, or wall cavities those walls need to be opened and cleaned.

The drains need to be repaired and the building properly cleaned and restored for safety and health.

Your health department may be able to give better advice on-site, as might a company who has experience and expertise in cleaning up sewage backups in buildings.

This website also provides a series of articles on sewage backup cleaning procedures and standards starting at

SEWAGE CONTAMINATION in BUILDINGS https://inspectapedia.com/septic/Sewage-Contamination.php

On 2018-01-24 06:32:19.372004 by Angel Grimm

Our church has two busted sewage pipes for 6 months to a year. It has never been addressed. Prior to the start of weekly church service, the smell is so bad until the deacons pour bleach and ammonia down the toilets.

People are starting to be sick with bad coughs and breathing issues with headaches.

Some have recently experienced heavy complaints of nausea from myself. Is this something the health department can help with or should the church close for a few day and allow the city to come in and fix the pipe. Also the offices in the church have somehow received water damage and the the ceilings and panel falling down and will not stay up.

On 2017-04-25 by (mod) - improperly-installed plumbing drains can permit methane and sewer gas and potentially other harmful particles, bacteria, viruses into a building

Terry:

The question is a bit broad but in general, improperly-installed plumbing drains can permit methane and sewer gas and potentially other harmful particles, bacteria, viruses into a building;

Plumbing drains can also harbor harmful fungal growth, though again only if drains back up or are improperly vented would there be likely passage of those pathogens into building air. I'll cite some pertinent research below.

Plumbing supply piping would not normally bring pathogens or harmful materials into a building unless the water supply itself were already contaminated in which case of course there could be aerosolized or airborne bacteria, viruses as well as potentially harmful gases including radon IF radon is in the local water supply.

Exceptions that could enter a building in the supply piping system (besides direct water supply contaminants of any sort) include be bacterial growth in a water heater (geyser, calorifier, cylinder) or lead or other contaminants in water supply piping.

Research on pathogens entering building through plumbing supply or drain systems

• Dwidjosiswojo, Zenyta, Jessica Richard, Miriam M. Moritz, Elke Dopp, Hans-Curt Flemming, and Jost Wingender. "Influence of copper ions on the viability and cytotoxicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa under conditions relevant to drinking water environments." International journal of hygiene and environmental health 214, no. 6 (2011): 485-492.
• Gormley, Michael, J. A. Swaffield, P. A. Sleigh, and C. J. Noakes. "An assessment of, and response to, potential cross-contamination routes due to defective appliance water trap seals in building drainage systems." Building Services Engineering Research and Technology 33, no. 2 (2012): 203-222.
• Gormley, Michael, Thomas J. Aspray, David A. Kelly, and Cristina Rodriguez-Gil. "Pathogen cross-transmission via building sanitary plumbing systems in a full scale pilot test-rig." PloS one 12, no. 2 (2017): e0171556.
• Hilborn, Elizabeth D., Terry C. Covert, Mitchell A. Yakrus, Stephanie I. Harris, Sandra F. Donnelly, Eugene W. Rice, Sean Toney, Stephanie A. Bailey, and Gerard N. Stelma. "Persistence of nontuberculous mycobacteria in a drinking water system after addition of filtration treatment." Applied and environmental microbiology 72, no. 9 (2006): 5864-5869.
• Howard, Guy. "Arsenic, drinking-water and health risk substitution in arsenic mitigation: a discussion paper." World Health Organization, Geneva (2003).
• Sanchez, Jose L. "Investigation of a cluster of Legionella pneumophila infections among staff at a federal research facility." Military medicine 166, no. 9 (2001): 753.
• Short, Dylan PG, Kerry O'Donnell, Ning Zhang, Jean H. Juba, and David M. Geiser. "Widespread occurrence of diverse human pathogenic types of the fungus Fusarium detected in plumbing drains." Journal of clinical microbiology 49, no. 12 (2011): 4264-4272.
  Harvard
• Falkinham, Joseph O., Amy Pruden, and Marc Edwards. "Opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens: Increasingly important pathogens in drinking water." Pathogens 4, no. 2 (2015): 373-386.
• Falkinham III, Joseph O., Elizabeth D. Hilborn, Matthew J. Arduino, Amy Pruden, and Marc A. Edwards. "Epidemiology and ecology of opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens: Legionella pneumophila, Mycobacterium avium, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa." Environmental Health Perspectives (Online) 123, no. 8 (2015): 749.
• Williams, Krista Ann. "Relationship Between Organic Carbon and Opportunistic Pathogens in Simulated Premise Plumbing Systems." PhD diss., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2011.
• Zuthi, M. F. R., M. Biswas, and M. N. Bahar. "Assessment of supply water quality in the Chittagong city of Bangladesh." ARPN Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences 4, no. 3 (2009): 73-80.

On 2017-04-25 by terry

Are airborn pathogens dangerous entering house through plumbing

On 2016-04-27 by Jenny

Our back yard has had our neighbors raw sewage running into it for two years. The problem is now remedied as they've hooked up to city sewer. I am wondering if there's any soil sample test we can do to see if any pathogens( or who knows what)remain.

We were told to liberally cover the yard with garden lime, wet it with a hose and let dry in sun for a few days and then our yard would be safe to use. Is this true and can our kids catch anything from the dirt after the lime treatment. We have a two year old who regularly eats dirt so I'm still worried about allowing him into our back yard.

Sent from my iPad

On 2016-04-26 by caroline

I contacted strongyloides after leaks in the broken orangeburg tile from the street to the house we rented

--I had 2 yrs of illness and then the city fixed the street of many houses in the complex and told the landlords their tile was crushed and had been for some time and now I am very sick from the backup and 2 yrs exposure to parasites and mold

--we moved and now we have the parasites here in the new home

--what can we do to save the people from our problem --we can see the strongyloides on the surface of sinks and clothes and papers

--and my body --I am going to emery to see if I can get rid of them but I am having bad site bad hearing bad dizziness and fat tummy but lost weight ==

its a long fight and we want to live in a clean house with what we have salvaged which probably is full of parasites now

---we left so much in the home I don't evn know what the landlord did with it

---I hope not give it away ---they sold the house for two times its worth and I know they have not fixed the tile to the house yet ---

On 2015-11-21 by (mod) -

Your description sounds as if the home was previously flooded or perhaps suffered a sewage backup. \

The smell you describe, if it is sewer gas, is potentially explosive.
If there was a flood of sewer backup that was not properly cleaned there are quite likely to be health hazards in the building and in its HVAC systems.

If the owner has not responded to a combination of prompt oral and written notice of your concerns you may need to ask for help from your local health department.

Search InspectApedia.com for

Tenant Help With Landlord

to read more specific suggestions

See also ORANGEBURG PIPE

On 2015-11-21 by min642008@yahoo.com

I'm currently renting & there is sludge on basement floor,I have spoke to two prior tennants and it was there when they were liviving here,There is a terrible smell that goes through the house when heat or central air is running. It smells like sewer,rotten trash dump,sulphur like matches.

I got sick,couldn't walk,vomiting,seizurs,went to e.r. had infection in my intestines & sepsis. Also my son has been having breathing problems,took him to doctor & had tests done,he was diagnosed with asthma. One tennant had sepsis but she had moved & it was a week after moving from here.

Other tennants,child got e.coli & other child,asthma. We all have had simalar things,headaches,sinus infections,earinfections,uncordination problems,slew of medical problems. Toilet backs up,kitchen drain backs up. And the landlord knows,has had 3 tennants tell him.

There is no inspection ordinace in this town. But im thinkin of contacting county health department. I've been here a year & was ready to move after 2 months. I'm looking for another place! I will not drink the tap water!

For a detailed list of the pathogens found in common household wastewater such as a septic tank and drainfield, see also our discussion of pathogens in sewage at SEWAGE PATHOGENS in SEPTIC SLUDGE: what makes up the contents of residential sewage? Stated more simply, and according to various sources such as the Utah DEQ

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Continue reading  at SEWAGE & SEPTIC CONTAMINANTS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

SEWAGE CONTAMINATION in BUILDINGS - what to do about sewage backups in buildings

SEWAGE PATHOGENS in SEPTIC SLUDGE

SEWAGE BACKUP, WHAT TO DO

WASTEWATER BIOCOMPATIBILITY

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SEWAGE & SEPTIC CONTAMINANT FAQs at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to SEPTIC SYSTEMS

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Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

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