From residential spaces to industrial facilities, injuries and fatalities can happen anywhere. Homicide, accidental death, suicide, severe injury, and other incidents are events that typically leave a scene with biohazards and other materials that require specialized cleanup. After authorities process a crime scene or other traumatic event, the property owner is responsible for the removal of any substances left behind. Unfortunately, removal of biohazards and other materials present at sites where traumatic events occurred requires a different approach than the cleanup of any other substances. To properly remove, dispose, and clean hazardous waste like body fluids, you need protective equipment, powerful cleaning solutions, and the knowledge of risks and legal regulations. Because of this, we highly recommend that home and business owners seek professional help for cleanup after a death, serious injury, or other traumatic event. If you are in need of expert assistance from a team that offers fast, compassionate trauma cleanup in Chester Springs, PA, ServiceMaster Professional Cleaning and Restoration can help.
Trauma Cleanup
Our team of skilled trauma cleanup technicians has worked to restore crime scenes, abandoned meth labs, and many other sites with biohazards and other dangerous materials. We are prepared to handle any type of biohazard, including substances classified into three levels of biotoxins. Biotoxins are any kind of organic material that poses a risk to human or animal health and safety.
Types of Biotoxins
While there are various biotoxins categorized by their origin—such as mycotoxins from fungi, zootoxins from animals, and phytotoxins from plants—they can also be classified by the area of the body they impact. For example, necrotoxins cause cell death and damage to tissues, neurotoxins affect our nervous system, and hemotoxins kill red blood cells. We’ve encountered almost every type of biotoxin during our restoration work at trauma scenes. Each level of hazard requires a certain degree of precaution and specialized treatment during cleanup.
Level 1: These biotoxins are the lowest risk substances, but they still pose a danger to anyone exposed. Wearing gloves and masks during removal and sanitizing surfaces typically mitigates the worst harm Level 1 toxins can cause. Common examples of Level 1 biotoxins include bacteria and viruses like E. coli and varicella.
Level 2: Secondary level biotoxins generally include bacteria and viruses that can cause serious illness but not airborne diseases. If they are in body fluids, Salmonella, influenza, and HIV could be present.
Level 3: Finally, Level 3 biotoxins are extremely dangerous materials that can cause severe illness and fatality. Illnesses caused by these pathogens may not have a current vaccine or effective treatment available. Removal of these requires a high level of protection and care. Some examples include smallpox and Ebola.
Summary
All of the biotoxins and many other hazardous substances present at trauma scenes demand professional assistance for removal. To learn more about our services for trauma cleanup in Chester Springs, PA, contact ServiceMaster Professional Cleaning and Restoration at (610) 524-8003 to reach our main office.