I have raccoon excrement all over my backyard. It is an area where little kids run barefoot, etc. I just read about this horrible roundworm disease that can be gotten from this. I understand the disease is mostly gotten when kids put their hands in their mouths, but should I worry otherwise? I have some on my deck? The state of Michigan site says to flame dirt after removing excrement, but how does one "flame" a wood deck? And for how long would one flame the dirt areas? Does anything else work, such as bleach? How bad is this problem, or am I just being over-paranoid (I read some papers on the topic, and after seeing some of the pix of those worms, you'd be paranoid, too!!) Any help you can provide would be much appreciated!!!

If children are infected with the worm, it can cause blindness, coma, or even death. Without testing, it is not possible to know whether the feces contains the eggs or not. But in studies I've seen it ranges from 10-30%. Even so, with some clean-up and a reminder to the kids to wash up with hot, soapy water after playing outside, the risk is very minimal. The literature recommends: "Any raccoon latrines should be removed promptly and fecal material disposed of properly by wearing rubber gloves, protective overalls, and rubber boots. Wearing a particle facemask should be worn if working in a confined space. Feces should be carefully removed, double-bagged in plastic garbage bags for disposal in a landfill or by incineration. If the latrine is located on the ground, approximately 5–7.5 cm of underlying soil should also be removed and discarded. B. procyonis eggs are difficult to destroy without resorting to high heat (e.g., propane gun flame, boiling water, steam). Obviously, using flame sources around a home is hazardous and should be discouraged unless surfaces like concrete or soil are to be decontaminated. Furthermore, the eggs have a sticky proteinaceous coat that allows them to adhere to surfaces. They can be rendered less sticky by applications of hot water and bleach, which may be useful for removing residual eggs from flammable surfaces". I don't see what the bleach concentration needs to be to effectively kill the eggs. So I have a call in to a researcher who works on this topic. Once I hear back from her, I will send you an e-mail with the information.

Here's what the expert said: "Bleach is definitely not the right thing to do. It doesn't kill the eggs. Instead it de-coats them so that they are really slippery and can roll away from the contaminated area. Picking up the stool with gloved hands and then use boiling water to clean the surface. The boiling water is hot enough to kill the eggs". Please let me know if you have any other questions.

hello I just saw this topic and I just wanted to ask a follow-up question. We have raccoons living on our property and people have walked in and out through the yard and the attic where they are living and then through the house. There was no visible feces but I did read that the eggs are sticky and stick to shoes and then get tracked through the house. Should I just steam clean the house? Do they die instantly when exposed to steam or do I need to do it for an extended period of time? I have a baby in the house who puts everything in his mouth so I am concerned!