Unattended deaths present profoundly dangerous expiration scenes. The stark reality is that the human decomposition process commences directly upon a person’s death. Within a matter of a couple of days, human remains begin to discharge bodily fluids other hazardous substances created during the decomposition process. After a few days, these fluids begin to contaminate the death scene. The dangerous pathogens that can exist in the aftermath of an unattended death cleanup pose what can be a truly significant health risk to any person who enters the area. Call our veteran-led biohazard cleaning service company

Health, Psychological, and Emotional Impact of “Stench of Death” From a Neighboring Apartment

As of 2020, 36.6 percent of people in the United States reside in homes of different types that they rent. The majority of these rental residences are found in multiunit buildings of different types, including apartments, duplexes, condo buildings, and adjoining townhomes. As an aside, there are a number of communities in Southern California in…

Your Rights in a Multiunit Condominium Building Following an Unattended Death in a Neighboring Unit

A truly challenging situation arises when a person dies an unattended death in a condominium in a multiunit building. An unattended death is one in which a person dies alone and his or her remains are not discovered for a period of time. In the aftermath of an unattended death, the stench associated with human…

Addressing the Aftermath of an Unattended Death in a Multifamily Apartment Building: The Rights of Neighboring Tenants

One of the most challenging situations involving biohazardous contamination is the aftermath of what technically is known as an unattended death. In basic terms, an unattended death involves a situation in which a person dies alone for one reason or another. The deceased individual’s remains aren’t found for a period of time that may equate…

Definition of Decomposition

The one universally common factor about life is the eventuality of death. With death, comes decomposition. Because every once-living being will be subjected to the decomposition process, understanding what that involves is important. Thus, this is a candid discussion of the definition of decomposition. Global Scientific Definition of Decomposition The broad scientific definition of decomposition…

What Does Decomposition Mean?

You hear the word. You read the word. And yet, if you are like many individuals, you really don’t know the true, comprehensive, most accurate definition of “decomposition.” Despite encountering the word with some frequency, you may not fully understand what decomposition means. Dictionaries and the Word “Decomposition” Dictionaries present very sterile and, frankly, not…

The Dying Timeline: Understanding the End of Life Journey and Active Dying

Quite like every person leads a unique life so does a person’s impending death have its own individual circumstances. Understanding this very real fact of life and death, there are some commonplace hallmarks associated with impending death. For example, if a family member or other loved one is in hospice care, there are signs that…

Are Odors from a Dead Body Classified as a Biohazard?

Perhaps nothing is more alarming and disagreeable than the odors emitted from a cadaver. As a human body decomposes, different types of gases are expelled from the remains. The expulsion of a malodorous stench commences within a matter of a day following death, if a body is left unattended. The stench magnifies – and significantly…

Candid Overview of the Unique Challenges of Decomposing Body Cleanup

Biohazard remediation specialists are called upon to address a wide array of challenging cleanup situations. These include: Infectious disease Crime scene Rodent dropping Hoarding Homeless encampment Unattended death Suicide Nothing presents a more significant set of challenges on a number of levels than does decomposing body cleanup. The human decomposition process starts the moment an…

Decomposing Body Cleanup and the Realities of Human Decomposition

The various stages of human decomposition have a direct bearing on the decomposing body cleanup process. As a consequence, in order to better understand decomposing body cleanup, a person needs to also understand some of the specifics of human decomposition. The Stages of Human Decomposition The human decomposition process can be broken down into a…

Understanding the Impact of an Unattended Death of the Family of the Deceased Person

One of the most challenging, even traumatic, situations a family can experience is the unattended death of one of its own. The unattended death of a family member is a truly tragic experience on many levels. This article is designed to enumerate the ways in which an unattended death impacts the family of the deceased…

yellow police tape

What Is Considered a Suspicious Death?

The basic definition of “suspicious death” is a death that is unexpected and its circumstances are legally or medically unexplained. Different types of investigations are undertaken in the aftermath of a suspicious death to attempt to reach a firm conclusion as to what happened. Different types of professionals might be involved in such an investigation,…

Understanding the Impact of a Death Treated as Not Suspicious

Death can be classified in a number of different ways. A coroner or medical examiner and law enforcement tend to utilize two broad categories when they are called to the death scene and undertake some level of investigation. These expansive categories of classification are deaths that are suspicious and deaths that are not suspicious. Although…

Mysterious Circumstances Surrounding a Death: A Coroner’s Duties When a Cause of Death Is Never Known

Mysterious deaths are not just the stuff of movies and television. Rather, every day in Southern California and elsewhere around the world, deaths occur (or are discovered) in which the cause is not readily available. Like many people, you may wonder what happens if no cause of death is found. Situations in Which a Cause…

How Does a Coroner Determine the Cause of Death?

A coroner has the primary legal responsibility of ascertaining the cause of death in certain circumstances. A coroner or medical examiner has a typically standard course of action this followed to determine the cause of death. Cause of Death Versus Manner of Death Oftentimes, the terms “cause of death” and “manner of death” are used…

How Long Does a Death Investigation Take?

Like many people, you’ve watched more than a few television programs and films that involve homicide or death investigations. The alarming reality is that a considerable segment of the population will have some sort of direct connection with a death investigation involving the circumstances of a friend or family member’s passing. You may have a…

forensics at unattended death scene

What Happens If No Cause of Death Is Found?

Fans of crime shows and medical dramas on television and the big screen oftentimes are presented with forensic investigators and medical examiners successfully striving to identify the cause of death in even the most complicated of situations. In some such television or picture shows, the entire affair may be dedicated to discovering how someone died…

Who Bears Legal Responsibility for Unattended Death Cleanup at a Rented Residence?

A truly traumatic circumstance is the unattended death of a person in his or her home. Not only is the loss itself a keenly emotional experience for a deceased person’s loved one, but the aftermath of this type of death can also be fraught with a multitude of challenges, including legal ones. A key legal…

house key in a front door

A Landlord Dilemma: Dealing With a Tenant Death With No Next of Kin Available

Landlords face a multitude of problems when it comes to their legal and contractual relationships with tenants. One of the most complicated and challenging of situations is when a tenant dies and no next of kin can be found. Sadly, this oftentimes occurs when a tenant dies in what is known as an unattended death.…

two people walking down a tunnel.

The Definition of Death in the 21st Century: Who Decides When Life Ends

The definition of what constitutes death has become the subject of an increasingly heated debate in the United States and elsewhere around the world in recent years. In addition, an associated debate centers on who should have authority to make the final determination that a person is dead. The Standard Definition of Death Over the…