Sewage Contamination
Investigations
ERT, Inc. can investigate buildings for contaminants which
may affect occupant health should not omit inspecting and
taking site history for evidence of sewage or septic system
backups into the structure or basement or crawl space areas
below the structure. Gray water and black water (sewage) can
cause a wide range of fungal, bacteriological, viral, and
parasitic hazards in buildings.
Both a one-time event and
recurrent sewage leaks into a building would be a concern,
particularly if prompt and competent cleaning were not
performed. If recurrent sewage contamination has occurred
more extensive building cleaning and treatment are likely to
be required. One reason that experts recommend very prompt
treatment is the wish to avoid transmission of bacterial
contamination to other building areas. Examples of
transmission might be by movement of people from
contaminated areas to other building areas (tracking
contaminated soil), and air movement of aerosolized
particles or contaminated dust through the building by
natural convection, heating and air conditioning equipment,
or other sources of air and dust movement.
Testing for Sewage or Septic
Contamination
While sewage may contain many pathogens harmful to building
occupants, testing for this problem usually focuses on
indicator organisms including total coliform, fecal
coliform, Escherichia coliform, and Enterococcus as these
species are expected in human sewage waste. They are
potentially harmful themselves as well as serving as an
indicator of sewage contamination. Typical sampling methods
include use of sterile swabs on sample surfaces both in the
suspected area and as a control in other building areas
where low or no contamination is expected. Bulk samples of
debris or building materials may also be collected, such as
drywall suspected of having been wet with a sewage backup.
Samples are sent to a qualified laboratory for culture and
examination for these bacteria. ERT, Inc. qualified
environmental consultant can determine if your building or
residence is contaminated due to recent sewage backups; by
obtaining a combination of samples which are submitted to
laboratory for sewage screen analysis.
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Services:
Sewage
North Bay Office
1990 N. California Blvd., 8th Floor
Walnut Creek, California 94596
(800) 660-1808 Toll Free
(925) 937-0700 Phone
South Bay Office
6472 Camden Ave., Ste. 102B
San Jose, California 95120
(800) 660-1808 Toll Free
(408) 866-4141 Phone
"I wanted
to express how pleased my husband and I were with the sewage
contamination investigation that ERT, Inc. conducted.
Considering our home has had a history of sewage backups and
grey water overflows there was some underlying concern. Your
investigation was scrupulously thorough and you identified
residual sewage contamination of which we had been unaware.
Because of this, we were able to relocate from the residence
and contact professionals to perform detailed cleaning and
decontamination. We are so fortunate that you identified
this sewage contamination before anyone in my family got
sick. We will certainly be referring ERT, Inc. to any of our
friends or family in the future."
Liz and
Scott Bunce
San Jose, CA
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