An unattended death is a situation where a person dies alone, and their body is discovered after a prolonged period without anyone knowing of their passing. Unattended deaths can happen in many different circumstances, such as when someone dies in their home or apartment and has no family or friends to check on them regularly or when someone dies in a public place without anyone noticing.

Unattended deaths can happen due to natural causes such as heart attacks, strokes, accidents, or other factors. They can also be a result of suicide or homicide. Because the person has died alone and may not have been found for some time, unattended deaths can present a significant challenge to law enforcement, medical professionals, and funeral directors, who must determine the cause of death and handle the body.

Are Unattended Deaths Common?

The frequency of unattended deaths can vary depending on various factors such as age, living situation, and health status. However, unattended deaths are not uncommon. They can happen more frequently among elderly people who live alone or have no regular contact with family or friends. Unattended deaths can also occur in younger individuals due to drug overdoses, accidents, or suicide.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the United States, there were approximately 3.3 million deaths in 2019. Of these, a significant proportion were likely unattended deaths. The exact number of unattended deaths is difficult to determine since they often go undiscovered for some time.

However, medical examiners and coroners are responsible for investigating deaths, and they have procedures in place to identify and handle unattended deaths.

 

How Fast Can Bodies Decompose?

Not all bodies decompose on the same timeline. Decomposition of a body  varies depending on a number of factors— such as temperature, moisture, presence of insects and other scavengers, and whether the body is buried, submerged, or left in the open air.

Under normal conditions, without any embalming or other preservation, a body will typically start to decompose within a few hours to a few days after death. This can make finding an unattended death and cleaning up after one a very messy situation. 

Who Cleans Up an Unattended Death?

In most cases, the responsibility of cleaning up after an unattended death falls on the property owner or their authorized representative, such as the executor of the deceased’s estate or a family member.

However, depending on the circumstances, there may be specialized professionals, such as biohazard cleanup companies, who are trained and equipped to handle the cleanup process. That is where organizations like ours comes in. We are usually the people property owners and family members call to clean up what is left behind after the body has been removed. 

It’s important to note that unattended deaths can present biohazard risks, such as the presence of bodily fluids and decomposition odors, which require proper handling and disposal to ensure the safety of those involved in the cleanup process. This is why it is imperative to call a company like the BioClean team.

We are trained professionals with deep expertise in removing biohazardous waste. Plus, unless used to it, cleaning up an unattended death is a nasty job to say the least. Just skip the mess and call us instead so that we can properly clean up and disinfect the affected area.

What To Do if You Find a Deceased Person 

If a person finds a dead body, they should follow these steps:

Call 911 or the local emergency services immediately. The police or emergency medical personnel will need to be notified to respond to the scene.

Do not touch or move the body. It’s important to preserve the scene as much as possible to help authorities investigate the cause of death.

If it’s safe to do so, the person who found the body should remain at the scene until the police and medical personnel arrive. They may be asked to provide a statement or answer questions about what they saw.

Cooperate with the authorities. Once the authorities arrive, they will take over the investigation. It’s important to cooperate with them and provide any information that may be helpful.

Seek support. Finding a dead body can be traumatic and may cause emotional distress. It’s important to seek support from friends, family, or a professional if needed.

Call Us 

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to clean up after an unattended death, give us a call. Our team is discrete, compassionate, and professional. We will efficiently disinfect and clean the space so that it may be inhabited once again without posing a health threat. 

 

Sewage cleanup is a critical task that must be completed when a home experiences an overflow or backed-up sewage system. Besides being quite disgusting, sewage poses a health risk to living quarters and people because it contains bacteria and other microorganisms that can cause serious health issues. Because of these health concerns, it’s important to understand who is responsible for this sort of cleanup so that the appropriate steps can be taken to ensure the safety of all involved.

Who Cleans Up Sewage? 

The responsibility of sewage cleanup falls on the homeowner, landlord, or property manager. Depending on the terms of the lease agreement and/or the insurance policy for the property, there may be some wiggle room in who pays for the costs associated with sewage cleanup. Still, ultimately it’s up to whoever owns or occupies the property to take action. If a tenant rents a home from a landlord and there is an issue with any kind of plumbing backup, then it’s best to reach out to them first before taking any additional steps. 

Paying for the cleanup and actually conducting the sewage cleanup is different. Unless a licensed professional, a person should never clean up a sewage spill. As previously mentioned, sewage is full of harmful bacteria and microorganisms that could cause serious health threats. Plus, it’s just a terrible job to do alone if you don’t know what you’re doing. Sewage also needs to be disposed of properly, and without the knowledge of where to dump, how to dispose of sewage, and supplies needed, you may be setting yourself up for further disaster.

Don’t clean up sewage alone. Call us. 

Sewage Exposure is Harmful

Sewage is no joke, and a professional sewage cleanup team will use serious chemicals to ensure that your living space doesn’t make residents sick. We have noted a couple times in this blog that sewage has bacteria in it — but it’s important to realize how and what we mean by “harmful”. 

Exposure to sewage can cause:

• E. coli 
• Typhoid fever
• Intestinal viruses
• Lung infections
• Salmonella
• Diaherra
• Cramps
• Weakness
• Vomiting
• And more

Conducting Sewage Cleanup By Yourself

In short: very small spills can be manageable on your own. Large sewage spills should always be handled by a professional. When dealing with sewage cleanup, it’s important that proper safety precautions are taken. If this is a small spill, cleaning up alone requires wearing protective clothing such as masks and gloves. Keep children and pets away from any contaminated areas. It’s also important that any standing water in the affected area is removed within 24-48 hours of initial contamination due to potential mold growth otherwise. 

If you do come into contact with sewage, make sure to:

• Was hands thoroughly before touching your face or eating — even if you used gloves 
• Keep your fingernails short and scrub under your fingernails
• Bathe immediately and scrub your skin with body-safe disinfectant soap
• Report any illness relating to the sewage spill immediately

Although disgusting, small spills might not seem like that big of a deal. We want to make sure you understand that they are. Sewage has the potential to cause life-threatening illness if not taken care of properly. If you have any doubts at all in cleaning up sewage, do not risk it. Call for help and save yourself the trouble of disease. 

When to Hire Help for a Sewage Cleanup

If you are dealing with contaminants like raw sewage or chemicals, it may be in your best interest to hire a professional company that specializes in hazardous material removal and disposal. Not only will they have access to special equipment that can help contain these materials safely, but they will have the knowledge and license to dispose of the sewage itself.

A professional company specializing in sewage removal can give your space a second chance at life. Affected items will be discarded and/or removed from your property (including furniture and flooring), and all spaces will be thoroughly sanitized with bleach or another sanitizing solution.

As a homeowner, renter, or landlord it’s important to understand who is responsible for sewage cleanup so appropriate steps can be taken quickly when needed. Do not let sewage linger, even if it is outside of your immediate space. Taking all of these factors into consideration will help ensure everyone’s safety during such an unfortunate event.

Cleaning up sewage is a nasty job, but someone has to do it — and that someone is us. Give us a call today so that we can sort out your sewage spill and help you get your life back on track.

Meth lab cleanups are no small task. It’s a job that requires specialized knowledge of danger and expertise in decontamination. Suppose you have discovered a meth lab on your property. In that case, it’s important to contact the appropriate professional services immediately to ensure that the area is properly disinfected and safe for re-entry. 

What Makes a Meth Lab Cleanup So Dangerous? 

Meth labs are incredibly dangerous places for both those who are using them and those who are tasked with cleaning them up. This is because the chemicals used in meth production can be hazardous to human health and the environment. These chemicals can create toxic fumes, making people sick or even cause death if they are inhaled. Additionally, some of these chemicals can corrode surfaces or even cause fires or explosions if they are not handled properly. Because of this, it is important to take extra precautions when tasked with a meth lab clean up. 

Why Are Chemicals Used in Meth Production Dangerous?

Meth is made in various ways, but there are three different groups of chemicals used in each one:

1. Metals and salts
2. Solvents
3. Strong acids/bases. 

Corrosives (strong acids/bases/solvents) like acetic acid and ammonia can cause a health threat due to inhalation. In liquid form, they easily become gasses or chemicals in the air. When corrosives are in powder form, they are also easy to inhale. When solid, corrosives can become explosive when near fire or heat. When you hear of a meth lab exploding, it’s usually because these chemicals caught fire. 

Inhaled corrosive vapors can cause corneal injury, redness/eye irritation, and shedding tears that won’t stop. The mucous membranes in the nose and throat can experience extreme irritation. Lungs can become agitated and can cause bleeding in the lungs, shortness of breath, and a terrible cough. 

Inhaling vaporous solvents, like acetone or isopropanol, can cause severe irritation as well. At high concentrations, solvents can cause a person to lose consciousness and injure the kidneys and liver. 

Metals and salts are usually in solid form and pose little threat unless ingested or inhaled as dust in the air. Metals and salts like potassium metal and sodium hydroxide can become extremely corrosive when exposed to moisture. Lithium aluminum hydride is an extreme fire hazard, known to be reactive and explode. 

What is Involved in a Meth Lab Cleanup? 

Chemicals and other spilled agents will remain in a former lab until they are physically cleaned up. If the space is contaminated with heavy vapors, most will clear out with ventilation. However, chemical residuals will linger until removed with clean up. These residuals pose a great health risk and should never, ever be cleaned up by anyone other than a licensed professional. 

Consider sharps, for instance. If someone was to cut themselves with drug paraphernalia, the risk would be high for life-altering infection. Exposure to these chemicals without proper PPE gear or ventilation could be life threatening. 

Cleaning up a meth lab involves more than just wiping down surfaces and throwing away trash – it requires specialized knowledge and expertise to handle the hazardous materials safely and effectively. Professional services will need to be called in order to assess the situation and determine what needs to be done in order to decontaminate the area.

The process usually involves removing any hazardous materials from the premises, properly disposing of them, thoroughly sanitizing all surfaces, conducting air quality tests, and making sure that all safety protocols have been followed before allowing anyone back into the area. 

Meth lab cleanups should never be attempted without professional assistance. It requires licensed professionals to do so safely and effectively without putting people’s health at risk or causing further damage to the environment or property.

What To Look For

The most obvious sign of a meth lab is the presence of suspicious chemicals and equipment such as glass jars and tubing. Additionally, there may also be strange smells coming from the area or chemical burns on surfaces like carpets or floors. Other signs to look out for include large amounts of trash or hazardous waste in the area as well as people coming and going at odd hours or staying overnight without permission.  

Call Us

If you’ve found an illegal drug lab on your property, you may feel unsafe, confused, or unsure of what to do next. It is important to remember that you are not alone and that there are resources available to help you navigate this difficult situation. Contact the BioCleanTeam right away so that we can assess the situation and properly decontaminate the area. Your safety is paramount and recuperating the space is possible!

When someone takes their life, those who knew and loved them are nothing short of crushed. The last thing that anyone is thinking about is suicide cleanup. Most times people are in utter shock and then deep sorrowful sadness. Suicide can be prevented, and when it isn’t, it hurts beyond words.

Unfortunately, tasks like disinfecting the area and cleaning up remains/blood are important after such an event. Pathogens can infect others and cause harm to those left behind at the scene. Restoring a space to a safe condition is imperative.

And what is most unfortunate about this chore is that it is usually left to the family of the deceased or the owner of the home/apartment/business building to do. It’s an unthinkable thing to have to conquer on your own. Those who are put in this position usually call people like us— a professional biohazard remediation company.

Hiring a Suicide Cleanup Crew

A biohazard remediation company is a licensed organization of professionals with expertise in cleaning up biohazardous materials. Biohazardous materials include anything from chemicals, to sharp objects, to human remains and blood.

Some instances of suicide can be quite violent, with small particles of blood reaching in far places. When you hire a suicide cleanup crew, they will understand this and anticipate finding blood in interesting places. Licensed suicide cleanup crews know what to look for and what to expect. 

For instance, what might seem like a small mess of blood on carpet to an uneducated eye could very well be a threat to someone who knows the danger of pathogens. That small patch of blood could have seeped to the subfloor of the carpet and expanded to farther places underneath.

If that blood is left unattended and not cleaned up, serious illness can come from it. That’s why it’s incredibly important to hire a suicide clean up crew after a suicidal event.

But First, Compassion

When the BIOClean Team is called to a suicide cleanup, we practice discretion and professionalism in every step of the way. If loved ones are still on-scene after our arrival, we will first always express our deepest condolences.

The BioClean Team was founded by a nurse with more than 10 years of emergency room experience. Her goal is not just to provide fast, efficient and thorough biohazard cleanup services, but also to provide her clients with a dose of compassion.

She’s helped hundreds of people during some of the most emotionally trying times of their lives, and has trained her team to provide caring and compassionate services. It’s not just about the cleanup; it’s about providing some measure of comfort after a horrible tragedy has occurred.

Compassion is always important, but it is especially crucial in the first moments after losing a loved one to suicide. Suicide is devastating and unthinkable. We understand that seeing a cleanup crew come to clean up your loved one’s blood and remains can also be traumatizing in and of itself.

The Process

Next, we will ask everyone to clear the scene so that we can get to work. We will investigate the area and learn about the incident and how the event happened. Learning about what happened allows us to anticipate where we might find any biohazardous materials. 

We will then use special chemicals to disinfect and clean out the site. We will carefully thumb through and remove infected materials like carpets, rugs, cushions, furniture, etc. Removing these items ensures that there are no lingering pathogens after we leave the site

The specific chemicals we use not only disinfect any bacteria left behind, but also ultimately allows for the space to be habitable again by people and animals. 

We Can Help You

The BIOClean Team has helped thousands of people within the Los Angeles and southern California area, and we now serve Las Vegas as well. We work 24/7, 365 days a year. We pride ourselves on not only being the fastest to arrive, but for our professionalism as well.

The BIOClean Team are not only experts at suicide cleanup, but we are the most compassionate as well.

Since BioClean works with insurance, chances are that you won’t have to pay a dime. Please call us if you need help. Let us take this incredibly difficult burden off of your shoulders so that you can do what you need to do in the next moment.

Contact us today so that we can help.

Suicide Prevention & Resources

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, you are not alone. Please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255, and you can speak with a counselor at any time, night or day.

Happy Holidays from the BIOClean Team family to yours!

Whichever way you celebrate, we hope your holiday is full of laughter, love, and peace.

See you in 2023!

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, available 24/7 at 800-273-8255, 

Life after suicide can feel impossible. Knowing someone you loved was hurting so deeply that they took their own life is crushing. Not only are you mourning the loss, but it’s common for survivors to contemplate what they could have done to save their person. This contemplation can seem life-long.

The holidays can often feel like a mirror, amplifying our loss back to us in our own reflection. Life seems to go on as it does — but your person isn’t here anymore, and life never got to carry on for them. The way things move forward on their own, without pause for the devastation, can feel cold and crass. 

Grief does not visit when it’s convenient and shows up unannounced all the time. And although everyone says this is normal, you might be wondering how a feeling so debilitating could ever be called ‘normal’.

You may feel like you just survived the hardest thing anyone has ever endured, but you are not alone. 

International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day is November 19th, 2022 — just days before Thanksgiving. This international day of remembrance was created for people who have lost a loved one to suicide. Losing someone to suicide is a very unique situation that can be hard for others to understand. Connecting with others who are going through the same experience, or similar, can help mourners cope with the loss. 

International Survivors of Suicide Loss was created by an organization called the American Association for Suicide Prevention. ASFP is an incredible resource for information regarding all things suicide prevention, loss, and community. If you are struggling with the loss of a loved one, we strongly urge you to lean on this organization for support.

Each year the organization holds events on International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, in different cities. We’ve included a few below, but if your state isn’t included in our short list, check out the website for more information. Every state has a chapter and each state will hold an event.

San Diego, California
November 19th, 2022
8am – 12:30pm
Location: University of San Diego (USD), Joan B Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice
5555 Marian Way, San Diego, CA 92110

Las Vegas, Nevada
November 19, 2022
10am-12pm
Location: TBD

Tempe, Arizona
November 19, 2022
9am-1pm
Rio Salado College Conference Center
2323 W 14th St Tempe, Arizona

Globally, over 800,000 people lose their lives to suicide each year. That equates to around one person taking their own life every 40 seconds. Unfortunately, suicide is common—but the shock and loss felt by those left behind ripples through communities, relationships, and more. 

As if dealing with grief wasn’t enough, here come the holidays right around the corner. It’s supposed to be the ‘happiest time of the year’; but if you’re struggling to even get out of bed in the morning, it can easily become the most challenging time of the year.

The following tips might seem simple or redundant, but we hope you consider them. They are statistically proven to be helpful in giving your mind and body what they need to survive this time. 

Say No 

Grieving is a deeply chaotic time for the body, and ‘grief brain’ is a real thing. You might find that you walk into rooms with no idea why you came in the first place. Forgetting what you’re talking about, or forgetting important things are common. 

Sometimes grief will take precedence over things you want to do and spending time with people you love — and that is okay. If you are unable to do something (like meet friends for a holiday dinner or happy hour), just say no. Don’t force yourself to do things that you can’t do. Mourning bodies and brains need exponential care and softness.

Say no if you don’t have it in your tank. It’s okay to do so. People that love you will understand. 

Sleep Well

If you’re grieving, chances are you’re very sleepy—often. Your body is fighting to regain homeostasis, and loss shocks the system. Let yourself sleep if you need to. If you have children, lean on your community and ask for help so that you can nap. Do not feel guilt or shame if you can’t keep up with others right now.

Sleep is the number one way that our bodies get stronger and heal. Give yourself sleep, and don’t feel bad for how many hours you need. You may find that you can sleep well past 8+ hours. This is normal, this is necessary.

Have Grace

Life after suicide looks different for everyone.

Rage might appear in your life, anger, resentment, and deep sadness. There is no playbook or manual on how to deal with these things. This is not a normal situation. However you deal with your grief, is how you deal with your grief. Have grace for yourself and the way that you’re dealing with the insurmountable loss felt after suicide.

In our line of work, we see many families directly after the loss of a loved one. We witness their pain, confusion, and shock— and we show up with rolled up sleeves and a deep softness for their situation.

We witness their pain, confusion, and shock. The BioClean team meets each family with deep compassion and care, and cleaning up the unimaginable is our honor.

Gross filth cleanup is different from a hoarder cleanup situation for seceral different reasons. Gross filth results from left behind trash, feces, food waste, dirty dishes, etc.  This kind of extreme filth can occur for many different reasons. 

Consider a person being too sick or elderly to take care of themselves. Trash will accumulate—especially if said person cannot use the restroom alone anymore. Sometimes people die in their homes without anyone finding them for a while. Some of those people may have many animals in the home that are uncared for— leaving behind mass amounts of feces, urine, and debris behind.

It’s also common for this level of filth to occur in meth houses or transient spaces. And of course, places in extreme hoarding situations.

Cleaning up a gross filth scene is challenging and can feel incredibly distressing.

The amount of trash and filth that is considered to be a gross filth cleanup is an unbearable job for anyone. In most cases, the person tasked with cleaning up the filth is not the person who made the mess in the first place. 

It’s common for landlords to encounter gross filth when a tenant moves out of their apartment, for instance. The landlord has no idea that the tenants are living in filth, and when they move out, the landlord is shocked with what’s left behind. This is also a similar situation for investors or homeowners who have bought an abandoned property or a fixer-upper.

Family members of deceased loved ones are often faced with cleaning up a gross filth situation, too. Sometimes when people are sick, especially elderly people, they can no longer take care of themselves. In many cases, the sick individual does not alert their family or friends of the growing situation in their homes. And when they pass, their family members come into the home to organize their belongings, only to find a serious mess that they feel overwhelmed with cleaning.

Examples of ‘gross filth’ are: 

• Excessive common household trash and debris building up over long periods of time without removal.
• Pets urinating and defecating freely inside the home without cleanup.
• Food laden plates or containers piled up in the sink, bathtub, and counters unwashed.
• Unflushed, overflowing, or broken toilets and sinks.
• Human waste in other areas of home or bathroom besides proper vesicles.
• Mattress, couches, or other items soaked in urine, blood, or loose stool for a variety of reasons.
• Light switches, walls, entryways, and door jams smeared with food waste, dirt, feces.

Many regular clean up companies, like housekeepers for instance, will not clean up a gross filth situation.

Why?

Because when filth goes to the extreme (feces, old food, animals, etc.), it becomes a biohazard. Housekeeping companies are not licensed to clean up biohazardous waste and do not have the tools to do so safely.

That’s where The BioClean Team comes in.

How is Gross Filth Cleanup Different From Hoarder Cleanup?

Hoarder cleanup is a different situation from gross filth cleanup. Hoarding is a mental illness that provokes people to constantly consume. You can read more about hoarding here.

Cleaning up a hoarders home requires compassion, patience, and understanding of the disorder. The BioTeam takes great care in helping a hoarder throw away their things and determine what items to keep. We will carefully comb through every item, throw away trash, and clean any areas of filth.

The goal of hoarding cleanup is to give the hoarder a fresh start and a clean space to live in again. Many times when we clean a hoarder’s home, the hoarder is still there. Hoarding is a serious mental health disorder that makes a person believe that “more” will make them feel safe.

People can hoard animals, things, or trash. It really depends on the individual.

Most items will be thrown out in a gross filth cleanup.

Carpet will be replaced, tile busted out, fresh drywall hung up again. Gross filth is often a situation where people can’t live in space until it is completely cleaned out and remediated of any biohazard threat.

Feces and urine from animals and humans alone is enough to qualify for a growth filth clean up. Cleaning spaces where meth or other drugs have been made is also considered a gross clean up situation. Make sure not to expose yourself to bodily fluids or mold, either. 

If you have a gross filth cleanup situation on your hands, please give us a call. Allow professionals with the education and appropriate gear handle the situation for you. Risking your health just isn’t worth it! 

If someone has passed away in your home, specifically in a violent or bloody matter, you’ll need to hire a crew to conduct a trauma scene cleanup. Blood and human remains can leave behind biohazardous, bloodborne pathogens that must be cleaned up and disposed of appropriately. 

First and foremost, though, we want to acknowledge how absolutely harrowing this experience is. If you’re reading this because this has happened to you, know that our entire team sends our condolences and deep regards for your well-being.

Someone dying in your home, traumatically or not, is unimaginable. It’s something that no person wants to go through or experience, and witnessing this event can be psychologically traumatizing. If you are struggling with witnessing a violent or traumatic event, we strongly encourage you to lean on those you love and seek psychological support. Mental health matters— and you are not alone. 

The BioClean Team prioritizes compassion, discretion, and kindness above anything else. This is a non-negotiable for any company you hire to conduct a trauma scene cleanup, and we hope that you keep that in mind when searching for help.

Now, onto the blog. 

What is a Trauma Scene Clean-Up?

A trauma scene clean-up is a service conducted by licensed bioremediation professionals. The trauma scene cleanup takes place after the body has been removed by the coroner. If the person did not pass away but still left mass amounts of blood and bodily fluids behind, a biohazardous clean-up crew will still be necessary. 

It is a common misconception that EMTs or police officers clean up human remains, blood, or bodily fluids after traumatic events. Unfortunately, though, the job of cleaning up remains is left to family members, friends, or business owners if the tragedy took place inside of a business building.

If there is blood or human remains left behind, police will condone the space as a biohazardous area and will clear the scene in order to keep people safe. When the scene is cleared and the victim or person who was hurt is removed, police will then let you know when you can call a company to come in and clean the area. 

If you have just watched someone die, chances are that you’re not up to the task of sifting through the internet to find the right company to hire to clean up—and certainly not able to clean up what’s left behind on your own. It’s an unthinkable thing to expect someone to do after experiencing something so shocking and tragic. 

That’s where the BioClean Team comes in. 

Making Your Space Livable Again 

With extreme compassion for grieving family members and friends, we clear the area and begin to disinfect the scene. Our team will have proper PPE gear, chemicals for disinfection, and specific storage for contaminated objects to be disposed of at licensed facilities. We use layers of gloves and take other protective measures to ensure that our staff is safe. 

Hiring a bioremediation company like BioClean is the only way to ensure that your home can be livable again. When we perform a trauma scene cleanup,  we’ll remove any materials or objects that are contaminated with blood. We will also clean the interior of your home where the blood has made its way. This ensures your living spaces are clear of any lingering infectious diseases. This includes any splattering of blood, tracking, or dripping. 

When left behind, human blood can contain infectious organisms called bloodborne pathogens that can make people gravely ill. Some examples are HIV, Hepatitis B and C, MRSA (a bacteria that can’t be treated with antibiotics), and C. Difficulty. 

When are Trauma Scene Cleanups Necessary? 

If someone has lost lots of blood, human remains and tissues, and bodily fluids, you’ll need to hire a cleanup crew. As stated above, these materials are incredibly dangerous to your health and can cause life-threatening diseases if not disinfected properly. Possibly even death. 

The BIOClean Team offers services for the following traumatic events: 

• Crime Scenes
• Suicide
• Homicides
• Traumatic Accidents
• Accidental Death
• Undiscovered or Unattended Death 

Give The Bioclean Team a Call

We understand how tender these situations are, and would be honored to help you get through this incredibly difficult time. Not only will we make your personal space safe to live in again, but we will also offer deep compassion to those on the scene who are in shock or deeply grieving. Losing someone you love or witnessing someone else lose their life is one of the most traumatic things we can ever face. Let us help you bear a piece of the burden by making your home a place you can be in again.

The biohazard symbol is the most recognized symbol in the world — and that’s by design. We’ve seen it everywhere, but how did that come to be? Read more to learn about who designed the symbol, why, and how the biohazard symbol keeps us safe today.

Who Created The Biohazard Symbol and Why

The biohazard symbol was designed with intention by Charles L. Baldwin, an environmental health engineer of Dow Chemicals, and Rovert S. Runkle of the NIH in 1966. It was created to be an international symbol—one that could be recognized by anyone in the world, no matter your background or what language you speak.

Baldwin, working in a facility with numerous hazardous substances, realized that not everyone in the facility understood what every symbol meant in the lab. He saw this as a problem and a barrier to keeping the public safe and informed. 

His drive to keep people safe is what inspired him to create a new, universal symbol that everyone could understand.

Instead of creating a different symbol for every chemical and hazard, Baldwin created a single symbol to avoid any further confusion. This one symbol allowed his coworkers and the rest of the world to recognize something as dangerous without having to understand the exact ingredients of the substance.

When we see the surgeon general’s warning label on cigarettes, we know that cigarettes are dangerous to our well-being. We don’t need to have knowledge of every ingredient and why it’s harmful.

The same goes for alcohol. We don’t need to understand every ingredient inside those items — knowing they are bad for you is reason enough to leave them alone.

The biohazard symbol acts as the same kind of warning. 

The biohazard symbol covers a lot of ground to convey a consistent message anyone from any part of the world can understand: danger.

The Biohazard Symbol Was Designed To Be Unforgettable 

Runkle and Baldwin wanted the symbol to be easily recognizable and unique. It was important to Baldwin and Runkle that this symbol be so specific that it could not be confused with another. The symbol was intended to be inclusive of any ethnic background. It also needed to be symmetrical so that any way you saw the symbol, it looked the same. 

Dow knew that creating a simple symbol that was easy to remember could potentially save lives. Dow took the task of creating the memorable symbol very seriously. Dow’s marketing team spent countless hours crafting several different symbols and finally conducted user testing.

In the survey groups, Dow presented several different well-known logos, and the unknown and newly formulated biohazard symbol. The idea was to gauge how familiar these logos and symbols were to the public. For obvious reasons, the survey group found the biohazard symbol as the least recognizable because the image was new to them. 

But that’s when something interesting happened.

The Biohazard Symbol Was Born 

Dow did the test once again a week later and found that after explaining the biohazard symbol just once, everyone in the group remembered its meaning and significance. 

Boom.

They found the winner.

Since the biohazard symbol is three-sided, there is no wrong way to append the symbol. The only rule to using the biohazard symbol is that there has to be enough contrast between the symbol and the background so that the image is impossible to miss. We often see biohazard signs with yellow backgrounds, but that is not mandatory to the design—it just causes more attention.

Examples of Biohazardous Substances the Symbol Signifies

• Blood

The biohazard symbol is used to alert others of blood and human tissues that contain blood. Blood is dangerous because of the infectious properties pathogens can emit—making blood a biohazard to people and the environment.

• Animal Waste

Dead animals and any materials that were exposed to animals carrying infectious pathogens. 

• Microbiological Waste

Microbiological wastes are more prominent in scientific labs. These examples include specimen cultures, culture dishes, thrown-out viruses, and devices utilized for transferring or mixing cultures.

• Pathological waste

Unfixed human tissues (except for the skin) and other materials used for things like autopsies and human biopsies.

• Sharps Waste

Needles, glass slides, and cover slides that are used to inspect blood on a microscope, scalpels, and IV tubing with the needle still attached at the end. 

It’s impossible to measure how many lives Baldwin and Runkle saved by creating this symbol. Not, it is a worldwide symbol that keeps people safe every day. 

Today, the symbol is a public domain, meaning that anyone can use the symbol on anything without charge or paying a royalty fee.  

If you’ve encountered any of the examples mentioned above and don’t know what to do, please give us a call. We’ll be happy to help you figure out the next steps and if it’s safe to clean up on your own.