Regardless of the cause of death, those who discover the victims typically don’t know how to deal with these circumstances, particularly when the remains have gone unnoticed for some time. Visit https://www.ready.gov/biohazard for tips on handling biohazard exposure. 

Perhaps a landlord found a tenant when checking on an overdue payment, or an adult child did a wellness check on a parent they couldn’t reach. Because decomposition has started, blood, body fluids, and other infectious materials contaminate the space and require professional intervention. 

Expert technicians undergo training to teach the laws and regulations pertaining to the proper handling of biohazards, along with stringent safety standards for removal and disposal. Professionals approach cleaning with adequate knowledge and expertise, having hands-on experience dealing with biological wastes. 

Without specialized training and experience, those closest to the victim trying to DIY clean biohazards are at a heightened risk of exposure, threatening their health and safety. 

The Risk Level When Dealing with Biohazards 

Biological hazards are substances or materials that present a safety or health risk to a person or animal. Biohazards can be blood, body fluids, and other wastes. The threat from these materials is in the potentially harmful pathogens they can carry, such as bloodborne pathogens, which can lead to disease transmission. 

Some biohazards, such as urine, mucus, and sweat, are minimally harmful. Click here to learn about biohazards with examples.  The CDC – Centers for Disease Control defines the risk level and proper handling. 

Level 1 

The biohazards classed as Level 1 pose minimal risk to human health and safety and are unlikely to cause disease for a healthy person. Special containment is an unnecessary precaution; however, PPE – personal protective equipment such as a suit, gloves, eyewear, and mask, are essential safety items. 

Level 2 

This biological waste presents a moderate safety and health risk, though these are not transmissible through inhalation. These are not anticipated to be harmful to healthy people, but with direct skin contact (broken skin) or when ingested, the biohazards can cause infection. 

Level 3 

These pathogens pose a high risk for severe or life-threatening diseases such as MRSA and have the potential for becoming airborne. Even with no contact, these pathogens can cause infection. 

Level 4 

A high fatality rate is associated with these pathogens; these could be unresearched or discovered and not fully understood in the scientific community. They will be approached following stringent precautionary and decontamination measures, such as using specialized suits with distinct air supply. 

Standard cleaning techniques are ineffective in decontaminating the space when there’s a biohazard exposure risk. A biohazard cleaning company is vital for a meticulous and thorough cleanup.  

Cleaning Biohazards in the Home 

Standard cleaning is inadequate for handling biological waste regardless of whether you employ deep cleaning methods. Biohazards require specialized tools and equipment and industrial-grade solutions to effectively remove and ensure no trace remains; an oversight can prove dangerous. 

Heavy blood spill 

Traumatic incidents can happen in the home, resulting in heavy blood spills that put occupants at risk for exposure. Blood spills and the release of other body fluids can occur with violent crimes or homicides using weapons or with suicides and unattended deaths. 

When blood is involved, bloodborne pathogens can transmit dangerous diseases to people, such as HIV. 

Crime scene 

Many criminal acts can occur in a residential setting, such as a violent assault or murder resulting in harmful pathogens. These scenes will also have residue following crime scene personnel’s investigation, including law enforcement fingerprinting powder or tear gas released from the initial raid. 

In homes where substance abuse disorder is a problem, there’s a high risk for drug paraphernalia to be present, such as needles, making it vital for cleaners to be alert. 

Some property owners consider performing DIY cleanup due to the cost and time-intensive nature of biohazard cleaning; however, the risks outweigh the savings if the biohazards are improperly handled. Oversight can lead to illness or fatality from materials that are missed or ineffectively treated. 

Professional cleanup techs use specialized hospital-grade or industrial-strength cleaning solutions and tools and equipment to decontaminate various biological wastes for thorough removal and disposal. 

These experts aim to meticulously sanitize and deodorize the space before property owners can resume occupancy.  

Final Thought 

Residential properties can be exposed to biological wastes from a traumatic accident or tragic incident resulting in death. Cleanup of these materials should be left to professional biohazard cleanup companies trained and experienced in the removal and disposal of these materials and substances. 

Attempting to perform the cleanup in a DIY capacity needlessly puts your health and safety at risk. When hiring the experts, you can rest assured the techs will use specialized tools and supplies to make the property safe and restore it to a habitable state with no chance for complications in the future.