The health risks of California’s flood waters, explained
With heavy rain and snow comes flooding risks and all that flood water could be harmful to people’s health. “They can carry sewage and sewage runoff, they can carry chemicals. Those are industrial and also household,” said Jason Wilken, epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and California Department of Public Health. Flood waters carry the risk of damaging property and impacting people’s health. “You could have things like gasoline, paint thinners, other chemicals mixed in (the waters),” said Wilken. Flood waters are typically muddy and hard to see through. It could cause people to slip or fall. Other things could also be lurking under the water as well.