Why Touching Biohazard Waste is a Bad Idea? Learn Now
When you see blood, bodily fluids, suspicious stains after a trauma, or other consequences of an unattended death, your first instinct may be to grab your gloves and start scrubbing it like there’s no tomorrow. Well, that would be your first mistake! You just can’t go ahead and make physical contact with biohazard waste so casually. It’s dangerous… and illegal!
You should contact professional biohazard cleaners to deal with the cleanup process. Your local biowaste cleanup experts will take care of everything for you. We are licensed & work discreetly. This blog will explain how touching this waste is not good and must be avoided.
Common Examples of Biohazard Waste
Some people find it gross to remove cat piss from their carpets. Just imagine how yucky it’d feel to scrub human remains or fluids from your floorboards. Biohazard waste isn’t just blood alone! We define anything contaminated during trauma, death, or illness as a biohazard.
- Blood-soaked clothing and bedding
- Bodily fluids like vomit, urine, feces, etc.
- Used gloves, masks, PPE, or something else from past cleanups
- Tissue fragments or medical sharps (we mean needles)
- Carpet sections, drywall, or your furniture with decomposition stains
- Rodent droppings or feces from hoarding/infestation
- Infectious materials like COVID mucus or antibiotic-resistant bacteria cultures
Biohazard Waste Easily Enters Your Skin
You don’t need an open wound to make biohazards enter your skin. Microscopic cuts, paper cuts, hangnails, or even dry, cracked skin can lead to hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, MRSA, and C. difficile sneaking in. These bugs can live for several days on surfaces as well.
Rubbing your eyes after touching these surfaces is like that scene from 28 Days Later that has a single drop of blood infecting a man. We at BioClean lower the infection risk when we work on crime scenes via double gloves, nitrile, tape wrists, and changing PPE between two rooms. Trust us, you can’t match this protection with DIY cleaning methods.
You Can’t Really See Aerosolized Threats
Disturbing dried bio-matter will create dangerous, invisible airborne particles. Breathing near decomposition fluids means you’re now inhaling lots of risky bacteria and viruses deep into your lungs. If you’re at a blunt force trauma scene, you’ll see brain matter and tissue turning into microscopic mist. That’s how dangerous uncontained biohazard waste can be!
Even seemingly “dry” stains harbor spores. We use N95 respirators and negative-pressure HEPA scrubbers. Regular masks are useless in this situation. No room for DIY cleaning.
Secondary Exposure Hits Your Loved Ones Later
After you have unknowingly touched contaminated items or places, hugging your kids or petting your dogs will transfer this exposure to them. Even cooking dinner without getting decontaminated means you’re hitting your loved ones with secondary exposure.
Don’t forget that hoarding sites hide feces, mold, rodents, and other things. Rodent urine carries hantavirus (fatal lung disease). One touch… and your entire home is on red alert.
Chemical Burns from Decomposition Fluids
Did you know unattended deaths create this corrosive “purge fluid” that is rich in enzymes and eats into your clothes? It can burn your skin on contact. You may look at it and assume it’s water. But it’s as bad as acid. We have seen clients with chemical dermatitis from just 30 seconds of exposure to this fluid.
Hazmat suits include face shields to protect cleaners from this acidic biohazard waste.
Biohazardous Waste Management Requires Expertise
So, how to dispose of biohazardous waste in the end? As per the California Health Code 118285, you need red biohazard bags, locked transport, and incineration to get rid of these materials. Treating this biowaste like everyday trash is illegal and may land landlords in jail if they’re not careful enough…
Psychological Trauma Adds Another Layer
Crime scenes are not always depicted justly in television shows and true crime movies. Our trauma-informed teams process hundreds of crime scenes a year without flinching. Seeing tissues and smelling decomposition can add another layer of trauma for the loved ones of a deceased individual. It may also lead to PTSD flashbacks or nightmares. That’s why experts believe in distancing non-professionals and letting them focus on healing. We handle horror!
Also, professionals can answer your basic questions about crime scenes and biohazards. For instance, is mold a biohazard? We can explain what constitutes a biohazard and what doesn’t. So, you should avoid touching biohazard waste. Touching, sniffing, or entering isn’t allowed without PPE. Just call us at BioClean to mobilize discreetly and clean up swiftly.
