Certified Industrial Hygienists Can Help Mitigate Health Hazards As a Result of Recent Flooding

Last week, many parts of the Midwest experienced heavy rains that resulted in widespread flooding.  In Illinois alone, Governor Pat Quinn declared disaster areas in 44 counties and at least 6 rivers were at record levels.  In addition to flooding in Illinois, the heavy rains have caused issues in Michigan, Iowa, Missouri and Indiana.
 
Many areas in the region experienced sustained heavy rains that have now caused flooding that has resulted in property damage to residential, commercial and institutional properties.  In some areas, people have already begun the long process of rebuilding their homes, businesses and communities.  Residents are advised to be aware of a number of potential health and safety hazards as a result of the flooding.  These issues range from mold growth and microbial contamination from flood waters to lead, asbestos and other household hazardous chemicals during cleanup and remediation.  Altered work environments and industrial processes in damaged facilities could also lead to potential hazards not recognized before the flooding.
 
Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIHs) are able to help with these issues and many more because of their comprehensive knowledge base of so many of the issues people now face. CIHs are uniquely qualified to anticipate, recognize, evaluate and control health hazards, both seen and unseen.  Many CIHs already live and work in the impacted areas or are able to travel to the region to help protect residents, workers and communities. 
 
“ABIH applauds the actions of CIHs who bring their special expertise to these kinds of natural disasters,” reported Tracy Parsons, CIH, Administrative Program Manager at ABIH.  “These professionals offer crucial support in managing the risks associated with rebuilding and returning to normal. Their knowledge of air sampling, biohazards, community exposure, health risk analysis and work environments are all critical skills during these challenging times.  Companies and people in need of contacting a CIH can easily locate them using a Roster search on the ABIH website.”
 
To learn more about the American Board of Industrial Hygiene or the CIH program, please email abih@ABIH.org , visit http://www.ABIH.org, or call (517) 321-2638.
 
About the American Board of Industrial Hygiene
Since 1960, ABIH, a not-for-profit corporation, has been the world’s largest, premier organization for certifying professionals in the practice of industrial hygiene. ABIH is responsible for ensuring high-quality certification including education, experience, examination, certification maintenance and ethics enforcement.

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

Contact via E-mail