The school where I work has had a recurring noxious sewer gas odor.  They have tried cleaning the sewer lines, and this helped for a couple of days.  The awful smells keep coming back, and so do my sinus infections.  Is there possibly any correlation?-Holly , Texas 

            In the medical community it is widely assumed that sinus infections are caused by bacteria.  As such, physicians commonly prescribe antibiotics to treat sinus infections.  There is increasing evidence that sinus infections that do not respond to antibiotic therapy are caused by one or more fungi and therefore they are better described as fungal sinusitis.  Most commonly fungal species associated with fungal sinusitis are dematiaceous,  that is they produce dark colored hyphae and/or spores.  Such fungal infections arte treated using fungicidal/fungistatic drugs.

            You have asked whether a sewer gas problem could be the cause of your sinus infection/sinusitis problems.  In theory the answer is yes (although no cause-effect scientific studies have been conducted/published to show such a relationship).

            Bacterial infections of sinuses may occur after exposure to substances which cause upper respiratory system inflammation.  When formaldehyde was a problem in residences, sinus infections were common among those exposed (ostensibly due to inflammatory responses which predisposed exposed individuals to bacterial infections).  Ammonia is a major constituent of sewer gas. It causes severe mucous membrane irritation and potentially increases one’s risk of developing a sinus infection.

            Though to my knowledge no scientific research has been done on this, there is a high probability that in some cases sewage fungal spores are likely to be present in sewer gases (particularly those entering building spaces through open traps).  As such, exposure to sewage fungal spores may pose a sinus infection/sinusitis risk.

            There is no reason why a sewer gas problem cannot be quickly identified as to its source and remediated.  When it is not, it is usually a problem of indifference or lack of good plumbing skills in those attempting to resolve the problem.

 

April 22, 2005