Wondering whether to hire a professional biohazard cleanup crew or not? Read on to find out the various health risks involved in improper biohazard cleanup!
Biohazard cleanup is an exceptionally complex form of cleaning and restoration. It always involves some sort of disturbing and emotional event, such as suicide, murder, and unattended death. Moreover, due to the potential exposure to blood-borne pathogens, biohazard cleanup can potentially lead to some major health risks for you and the cleanup technicians you hire.
This is why it is not a cleanup task that you can do on your own or hire a regular cleanup team to take care of. It’s a serious task that only highly well-equipped and trained professionals should undertake. If biohazard waste is handled improperly by an amateur cleaner, it can lead to a whole host of problems including various health risks.
Bacterial illnesses are carried in feces, blood, and other bodily fluids. Harmful pathogens can thrive in biohazardous materials for up to 16 days after death, particularly if the environment and temperature are ideal for their survival.
The health risks involved in biohazard cleanup include some pretty serious and at times incurable diseases. In fact, improper biohazard cleanup can actually turn out to be fatal in some cases. Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV are some common diseases that you can contract from mere contact with bodily fluids.
Here are some pretty major health risks involved with biohazard cleanup:
Hepatitis
Hepatitis A, B, and C are all types of inflammation in the liver. They are spread via contact with human blood. You can also contract Hepatitis A and B via other bodily fluids. The least troublesome one is Hepatitis A because it more commonly only causes serious side effects in older individuals. Moreover, it tends to get resolved on its own. However, chronic HBV and HCV can lead to some pretty serious health consequences such as liver cancer, liver failure, and cirrhosis – advanced liver scarring.
HIV Leading to AIDS
Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV is another serious illness that you can contract from biohazard material. It can lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, more commonly known as AIDS. This virus can easily spread through various bodily fluids such as semen, blood, and even breast milk. The virus attacks your body’s immune system and destroys T cells – immune cells that actively protect your body from cancerous cells and pathogens – until your body is utterly unable to fight off any infections. This disease has no cure.
- Coli
Escherichia coli, generally known as E. coli,is a bacterium that resides within the intestines. This bacteria can easily spread through various bodily fluids. While healthy adults with a good immune system can recover from this illness, it can lead to serious health consequences for some individuals. For instance, senior citizens and young children might develop hemolytic uremic syndrome – a group of blood disorders – or even a fatal form of kidney failure.
Studies have highlighted that the E. coli bacteria can live on wet surfaces for about 15 weeks!
Due to the risk of illnesses mentioned above, we highly recommend hiring a professional cleanup crew to handle a biohazard cleanup job.
Looking for a biohazard cleanup crew? Get in touch with the Service Team of Professionals today!
