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| Natural
Disasters and Special Populations |
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES
Carbon Monoxide
Chemicals in Flood Waters
Insect Repellents
Lead
Pesticides – Spraying for Mosquitoes
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas that can cause sudden
illness and death if you breathe it. When power outages occur during
emergencies such as hurricanes or winter storms, alternative sources of
fuel or electricity could be used for heating, cooling, or cooking. CO
from these sources can build up in homes, garages, or campers, and poison
people and animals inside.
For more information about how to protect against carbon monoxide
poisoning, please see
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/cofacts.asp.
Carbon Monoxide and Pregnancy
A pregnant woman might be especially concerned about the potential effects
of carbon monoxide exposure on her unborn child. The symptoms of CO
poisoning for a pregnant woman are the same as those for nonpregnant
adults, but can be similar to those that normally appear in pregnancy
(nausea, vomiting, and tiredness). It is important to know if other adults
around the pregnant woman also have symptoms of CO poisoning. Generally,
if a pregnant woman has very mild illness or no symptoms at all, it is
unlikely that her unborn child will be at serious risk. The effects of
more severe carbon monoxide poisoning on the developing baby will be
related to the amount and length of CO exposure, and when during pregnancy
the exposure occurred. Any pregnant woman who thinks she has had
significant exposure to carbon monoxide should contact a health care
professional.
For more information or to discuss individual carbon monoxide exposure
during pregnancy, women and health professionals can call the Organization
of Teratology Information Specialists at 1-866-626-OTIS or 1-866-626-6847.
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Chemicals in Flood Waters
People should avoid touching standing
water when they can. People who do touch standing flood water should wash
all exposed areas of their body with soap and water. Standing flood waters
should not be swallowed, and people should avoid all mouth contact.
Tap water or water from wells may not be safe to drink, clean with, or
bathe in after a hurricane or flood. People should listen to announcements
by local officials about whether tap water is safe to drink or to use for
cooking or bathing. If the water is not safe, they should follow local
instructions about using bottled water or boiling or disinfecting water
for cooking, cleaning, or bathing.
To learn about keeping drinking water safe after a natural disaster,
please see
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/foodwater.asp.
For information about disinfecting wells after a flood or other emergency,
please see
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/wellsdisinfect.asp and
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/privatewells/whatdo.html.
Chemicals in Water and Pregnancy
Some chemicals are known to harm an unborn child. For other chemicals, the
effects on an unborn baby are not known. If a pregnant woman touches
standing flood water, she should report any symptoms of illness to a
health care provider right away. Pregnant women should also listen to and
follow public announcements from local officials about whether tap water
is safe to drink or to use for cooking or bathing.
For more information or to discuss individual chemical exposures during
pregnancy, women and health professionals can call the Organization of
Teratology Information Specialists at 1-866-626-OTIS or 1-866-626-6847.
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Insect Repellents
Insect repellents are an important way to help people protect themselves
from infections spread by mosquitoes. DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide)
and picaridin are two effective and long-lasting insect repellents.
For general information on insect repellent use, please see
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/RepellentUpdates.htm,
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/insect_repellent.htm, and
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/mosquitoes/insectrp.htm
Insect Repellents and Pregnancy
Pregnant women might ask if DEET is safe to be used during pregnancy. DEET
does cross the placenta. However, the effects of DEET use in pregnancy
have not been thoroughly studied. There have been no studies of picaridin
use in pregnant women.
Infections spread by mosquitoes can be harmful to a developing baby.
Therefore, the benefits of insect repellent use might outweigh any
potential harm. To lower the risk of infections spread by mosquitoes,
pregnant women should stay indoors during peak times of mosquito activity
(usually dawn and dusk) and wear protective clothing. Pregnant women
should apply insect repellent primarily to their clothing and, in small
amounts, to exposed skin when necessary.
For more information on use of DEET during pregnancy, please see
http://otispregnancy.org/pdf/DEET.pdf.
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Lead
The amount of lead found in some standing hurricane flood waters might be
higher that what is safe for drinking water. However, blood lead levels
are not likely to rise as a result of the hurricane because people are
not likely to drink a lot of standing flood water. People should not
swallow standing flood waters and should avoid mouth contact when
possible.
To learn more about lead exposure, please see
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/katrina/pdf/leadkatrina.pdf
and
http://www.cdc.gov/lead.
Lead and Pregnancy
High levels of lead in a mother’s blood can harm her unborn child. But, it
is not likely that blood lead levels in pregnant women will rise as a
result of the hurricane.
For more information about lead and pregnancy, please see
http://www.marchofdimes.com/aboutus/681_9146.asp.
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Pesticides – Spraying for Mosquitoes
Rain and flooding in a hurricane area may cause the number of mosquitoes
to increase. Mosquitoes can carry diseases such as West Nile virus or
dengue fever. To protect the health of people in hurricane areas, public
health officials might need to use pesticides to control the spread of
diseases by mosquitoes. Naled, a commonly used sprayed pesticide (trade
names Dibrom® and Trumpet®), is approved by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and is used often by mosquito control districts.
Spraying is usually done during the last 3 hours of daylight.
To learn more about avoiding mosquitoes, please see
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/animalhazards.asp.
Pesticides and Pregnancy
Scientists do not know how naled might affect an unborn baby. But in tests
on animals, pesticides similar to naled have not been linked with
pregnancy problems, except at doses that also made the mother animal sick.
For more information or to discuss individual exposure to pesticides
during pregnancy, women and health professionals can call the Organization
of Teratology Information Specialists at 1-866-626-OTIS or 1-866-626-6847.
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Date:
July 10, 2007
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities
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