Health Risks of Sewage Exposure: What Utah Homeowners Should Know

Reviewed by Tyler Bennett, Restoration Project Manager, IICRC WRT/ASD #291438, October 2026. This article is general information, not medical advice. Call your doctor or Utah Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) for health concerns.

Short answer: Raw sewage contains bacteria, viruses, and parasites capable of causing gastrointestinal illness, respiratory infection, and skin infection. Vulnerable groups (children, pregnant women, elderly, immunocompromised, chronic respiratory conditions) should stay out of the affected area entirely. Everyone else should avoid direct contact and keep the room sealed off until a professional restoration crew with full PPE arrives.

What is in sewage water

Residential sewage is a complex mix of toilet waste, kitchen drain water, laundry drain water, bath water, and whatever has washed down any floor drain. In a city-sewer backup, you also get whatever is in the municipal main at that time — which can include wastewater from other homes and businesses, and anything that was flushed, washed down, or dumped into the sewer system by anyone in the neighborhood.

Common pathogens found in Category 3 water:

• Bacteria: E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Vibrio
• Viruses: Hepatitis A, norovirus, rotavirus, enteroviruses
• Parasites: Giardia, Cryptosporidium, pinworm, tapeworm
• Other: fungal spores, decaying organic matter, chemical residues

How exposure happens

• Ingestion. Touching your face after contact, eating or drinking without washing, droplets reaching your mouth during cleanup.
• Skin contact. Especially through small cuts, scrapes, or cracked skin. Pathogens can enter the bloodstream through broken skin.
• Inhalation. Aerosolized droplets during the backup event itself or during cleanup, which can carry bacteria and viruses into the respiratory system.
• Mucous membranes. Eyes, nose, mouth are entry points. Rubbing your eye after contact is a classic exposure route.

Who is at highest risk

The CDC’s general guidance on wastewater exposure specifically calls out these groups as higher risk and recommends they stay out of affected areas:

• Children. Hand-to-mouth behavior, smaller body size (same exposure is proportionally larger), developing immune system.
• Pregnant women. Immune changes during pregnancy; some pathogens pose fetal risks.
• Elderly adults. Weaker immune response, more severe outcomes from gastrointestinal illness.
• Anyone immunocompromised. Chemotherapy, transplant medications, HIV, severe diabetes, autoimmune conditions on immunosuppressants.
• Chronic respiratory conditions. Asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis — inhalation of aerosolized bacteria is harder on compromised lungs.
• Open wounds or recent surgery. Skin-barrier breach increases infection risk.

What NOT to do

• Do not mop or wet-vacuum sewage with household equipment. It spreads contamination into porous materials and aerosolizes bacteria into the air.
• Do not use regular household cleaners to try to sanitize the area. Standard cleaners do not meet the IICRC S500 standard for Category 3 water.
• Do not try to save contaminated porous items (carpet, drywall, upholstered furniture, mattresses). Under S500 these must be removed, not sanitized.
• Do not run the HVAC system while sewage is in a lower level — it can distribute aerosolized contamination throughout the house.
• Do not eat or drink anything that was in direct or splash contact with the sewage, even in sealed containers if the exterior was wet.
• Do not use the water in the house until the backup source is confirmed clear (flushing or running water pushes more sewage out of the backup fixture).

What to do

1. Keep everyone out of the affected room. Shut the door.
2. Call 4Sure. (385) 247-9387. 24/7 live-answered.
3. If vulnerable people are in the house, consider temporary relocation until the containment is set up and the cleanup is complete.
4. Photograph before anything moves. From a safe distance.
5. Open windows only if the weather allows safe cross-ventilation. This helps airborne contamination exit rather than circulate.

Our PPE and containment protocol

Our crew arrives with full PPE: N95 or P100 respirators, full Tyvek body suits, nitrile gloves, boot covers, and eye protection. We set up a 6-mil polyethylene containment with HEPA-filtered negative air pressure (-5 to -10 Pascals) to isolate the affected area from the rest of the house during work. This is not for show — it is the standard required under IICRC S500 for Category 3 work, and it protects both the crew and your household.

Related reading

• Main sewage cleanup page
• Sewer backup prevention
• Basement flood vs sewer backup: the difference
• Sewage cleanup cost