URBAN SURVIVAL: When the World as You Know It Has Changed Overnight by Michael Garver

Author:Michael Garver
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Safety & First Aid, Health, Fitness & Dieting, Education & Reference, Nonfiction
Publisher: Benesserra Publishing
Published: 2012-10-16T06:00:00+00:00

Sanitation Waste and Personal Hygiene

During a crisis, proper sanitation procedures are crucial to prevent sickness from infectious diseases. You may not have immediate access to doctors, hospitals, or emergency responders. Have everyone use hand sanitizers to help stop the spread of bacteria.

To be effective in destroying bacteria on hands and surfaces, hand sanitizers must contain at least 60% alcohol as an active ingredient. Studies indicate no negative effects of using alcohol-based sanitizers that destroy the so-called good bacteria on hands, and studies also indicate that the human body is continually producing the needed good bacteria. Hand sanitizers also have no residual effects on the production of these bacteria. (Center For Disease Control and Prevention, 2012).

Promptly bury garbage to control odor and prevent insect and rodent infestation. Burning or incinerating garbage is not recommended for several reasons. One reason is that the garbage never fully incinerates and will ultimately attract predators and rodents, and secondly, many household products can emit toxic fumes when burned.

You must also manage human waste. It is likely you are on a city sewage system if you live in an urban area. Sewage pumps operate using electricity, so power disruptions will make the sewage system nonoperational.

Toilets can usually be flushed by pouring water directly into the bowl, but if your city's sewage plant is not operational, the system can easily become flooded. Once flooded, any water or waste you put into the waste discharge lines in your home will not enter into the sewage system. It will not take long to the fill the waste lines that service your home, and this means that waste will back up into the home.

To prevent waste back up, you can construct portable outdoor latrines. For the latrine, you must have an area where you can dig a hole or trench in the ground. Allowing human waste to collect on top of the ground can cause the spread of diseases, attract insects and rodents, and not to mention create an awful odor. You can use tents that have the floor removed for privacy or use tarps to screen the latrine. The tent should be big enough to allow people to stand fully or slightly stooped. Using tents will also provide some relief from insects if the netting is intact. You can put in mosquito netting for additional protection.

Use the excavated soil to cover the waste along with sprinkling a cup full of lime in the pit for odor control at least twice weekly. Lime (calcium hypochlorite) can be purchased specifically for outdoor latrines (privy/outhouse). Lime specifically for latrines is used to kill bacteria and control odor. Use the lime to control odor and bacteria in garbage pits as well. Do not use the latrine to dispose of garbage or food waste. Ensure there is a light source, a shovel, and a scoop for the lime in the latrine at all times. Because of its somewhat caustic nature, you should never handle the lime with your bare hands.

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