Dangerous Health Risks That Fire Damage Can Cause Thursday, February 20, 2020

If your home or business has unfortunately suffered from fire damage, you need to quickly call a fire damage restoration company like True Builders. We perform fire damage restoration services for homes and businesses located in and around Winter Haven, Plant City, and Lakeland, FL. Our expert team mitigates damages and helps restore the condition of your property.

While the structural damages that a fire can inflict are obvious, a fire also presents less obvious risks. Check out some of the detrimental ways that fire and the resulting smoke and soot can damage the health of you, your family, and your visitors.

Soot and smoke odor can linger and cause respiratory issues like bronchitis and asthma.

The initial black fumes from a fire will trigger coughing and general difficulty with breathing. However, long after these black fumes have faded away, soot and smoke odor will linger behind. These substances can lead to respiratory issues like:

• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Coughing
• Shortness of breath

Soot and smoke can settle in porous materials around your property and cause skin and eye irritation.

Soot and smoke often stay behind after a fire because they settle into porous materials around your property. Some porous materials that often retain large amounts of smoke include:

• Carpet
• Furniture
• Wooden surfaces like tables and desks
• Walls

If you come into regular contact with any of these surfaces contaminated with smoke damage, you may develop issues with your skin's health. These problems can range from skin irritation to general dryness.

One of the most common culprits of fire-damage-related skin irritation is putting on clothes that were present during the fire. Even after thoroughly washing these clothes, they may contain remnants of soot and smoke that can cause heightened skin discomfort.

Eye irritation is another health consequence of fire damage that can develop if your property isn't properly cleaned of soot and smoke residue.

Fire damage can cause long-term health risks including strokes and heart attacks.

During a fire, items that contain various amounts of chemicals do not burn cleanly. These items include:

• Any materials containing asbestos
• Foam
• Wool
• Fabrics
• Wood products
• Plastics
• Carpets

When these items burn, they release toxic substances like furans, sulfur dioxide, and dioxins. Long-term exposure to these chemicals can lead to health issues like:

• Certain types of cancers
• Strokes
• Heart attacks
• Developmental disorders in infants

To avoid harming yourself, residents, and guests, you need to seek fire damage restoration services as soon as possible.

Call our team today to remediate the fire damage on your property.

If your property has suffered damages due to a fire, don't delay seeking professional help. While it's important to repair physical damage, you also must have smoke damage addressed.

Forgoing or putting off fire damage restoration services can leave you, your family, and your visitors vulnerable to developing a variety of health issues. Call our team today at (863) 647-1800 for professional fire damage restoration services in and around Lakeland, Winter Haven, and Plant City, FL.