Puff-Back Clean-Up: The Health Dangers

Furnace experts advice that anyone who is in need of puff-back clean-up contact a professional team to come in and do the job. Why? Well, besides the fact that most jobs of this nature are far beyond the scope of the average homeowner, being in the midst of all that smoke and ash can carry with it a number of health dangers. If you value your health, and that of your family, you will remove yourself from the damage as soon as possible and wait to return when the damage has been thoroughly cleaned up. A professional team will have the tools they need to carry out the work in a safe and effective manner. Here are some of the health dangers you could encounter by trying to do the job yourself.

Furnace puff-back clean-up may be needed after a sudden explosion or over a time of gradual soot release. The chemicals in the soot and oil present a number of health dangers to anyone in the immediate area. It contaminates the air, as well as any surfaces it might happen to coat. You might think that the most immediate dangers would be to the respiratory system, but studies have shown that heart disease is the most powerful way in which these chemicals can get into the system and manifest. Inhalation of these chemicals can lead directly to hardened arteries over time, and you don’t know how much damage you’ve done until years later in some cases. Of course, clogged and hardened arteries are the primary culprit behind an eventual heart attack or stroke.

These contaminants have been shown to increase the risk of cancer in some individuals as well. If you have any doubts, simply look at the statistics surrounding cigarette smoking. The two are largely comparable. In both instances, you are inhaling a foreign substance on a regular basis, inviting it into your lungs. Both substances are very similar in nature. They are both filled with smoke and chemicals that can turn into cancer cells within the body. Lung cancer is the most easily contracted and the most difficult to diagnose in time for a successful recovery.

Cancer and heart disease are just the tip of the iceberg, however. Puff-back clean-up without the aid of a professional team can lead to health dangers running the gamut, from asthma to COPD. Unfortunately, there are few effective treatments or cures for any of these conditions. The best way to treat them is to avoid getting them to begin with. This is only one of the reasons why it is so important to contact a professional puff-back clean-up team when you have a furnace malfunction. Not only will you stand a better chance of protecting your belongings, you’ll save yourself from the health conditions that can develop from breathing in these toxic fumes.