on Yelp
The fast-growing city of Bakersfield, California has a population of 380,874 according to a census taken in 2017. Named after a wealthy oilman, this once agricultural, oil and gold boom town today is better known for being a multi-faceted center for all forms of arts and culture. Many tourists flock to Bakersfield to visit this city’s bustling arts district where the famed Fox Theater still stands and the Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace that still delivers the original “Bakersfield Sound” described as a country music style that is authentic, gritty and raw.
The local Basque heritage that was brought to the region by Spanish and French Pyrenees immigrants in the later 1800s is still visible with the many restaurants that serve hearty portions of scrumptious Basque cuisine. Situated on the Kern River, Bakersfield still boasts a large Hispanic population, and Spanish styled architecture dots the beautiful desert-like landscape.
Although this thriving California community has many wonderful scenic and cultural arts attractions, Bakersfield has a fairly high crime rate compared to other cities. This gorgeous urban location has the highest number of murders in the state of sunny California. Other violent crimes like rape and assault are also on the rise. Every day, there is a need for topnotch biohazard cleanup, like the services offered by Eco Bear, in some area of the county.
What Is Considered to Be a Biohazard?
A biohazard is usually defined as a biological substance capable of being a threat to humans, other animals and/or the environment. Some examples of biohazards include:
- Viruses
- Bacteria
- Other Microorganisms & Potential Pathogens
- Toxins
- Sharps Potentially Containing Harmful Pathogens like Used Needles
These types of biohazardous materials can include medical waste as well as human and animal waste among others. Generally, the Centers for Disease Control divides the cleanup of these biohazards into 4 levels with Level 1 being less harmful and requiring minimal protective gear like gloves and facial protection and level 4 being the most contagious or dangerous to humans and others.
Understanding the Process & Need for Professional Biohazard Cleanup
The need for professional biohazard cleanup in Bakersfield has a local biohazard cleanup and remediation service called Eco Bear working hard to restore the damaged properties of residential homes and area commercial businesses on a daily basis. This type of risky cleanup can be very dangerous work, and these kinds of potentially life-threatening jobs are best left to the experts.
Ways Professional Biohazard Cleanup Efforts Can Help Property Owners
When there is a biohazard present following a death, crime or other catastrophic events, the challenges of cleaning the property up afterward are daunting for the property owners. Some types of biohazardous material left behind include:
- Potentially Dangerous Bacteria & Viruses
- Harmful Microorganisms like Mold
- Bodily Fluids – Blood, Urine, Saliva, etc.
- Human or Animal Tissue – Skin, Muscle, Bones, etc.
- Human or Animal Solid Wastes – Feces
- Rodent Droppings – Often Contains Harmful Pathogens
The cleanup of the above substances must be performed properly in order to ensure that all invisible-to-the-naked-eye pathogens like dangerous bacteria or virus cells, health-threatening mold spores and other harmful pathogens that are microscopic in size are destroyed completely. Additionally, the proper protection gear must be worn and used to prevent transfer and contamination during the work cleanup phase.
Only seasoned biohazard cleanup specialists like the well-respected Eco Bear team will have the proper cleaning equipment and supplies to get the job done correctly in a shorter time period. Hiring a professional property biohazard remediation company is crucial to ensure the health and safety of any person or animal on site during the time that the property is being cleaned.
The Steps of a Professional Biohazard Remediation Process
There are several steps that professional remediation specialists that work on biohazard jobs will follow. These are:
- Containment of Pathogens
- Careful Cleanup Efforts
- Sanitize
- Deodorize
- Restoration of Damaged Property
Not only does a professional biohazard specialist clean up the obvious waste or damage debris, but the space will also be carefully contained to prevent further contamination, sanitized to kill microscopic pathogens, deodorized to rid the air, furnishings, and surfaces of noxious odors and finally finished with an expert property restoration process.
What to Do If Feces Are Found on Your Property
All human beings have to rid their bodies of unneeded waste that includes proteins, fats, fibers, and other digested food components. Along with these items, feces also harbor a high number of organisms such as bacteria and viruses. While the majority of these microorganisms may not cause any disease symptoms in healthy individuals, there are some that can be detrimental to whoever comes into contact with them.
This can include the dangerous Escherichia coli a common protozoa found in human and animal feces. When ingested or absorbed into delicate tissues surrounding the eyes, nose, and mouth, E-coli has been known to cause very serious infections that often require a hospitalization and IV therapy to combat. In the very young or older populations, as well as other vulnerable individuals, this type of infection can even be fatal.
Below is a list of some of the more common potentially harmful pathogens often found in feces:
- Streptococcus – Bacteria
- Salmonella – Bacteria
- Escherichia Coli & Entamoeba Coli – Protozoa
- Ascaris & Giardia Lamblia – Worm
- Shigella & Vibrio Cholerae – Bacteria
- Cryptosporidium – Protozoa
- Hepatitis A – Virus
There are other pathogens that could potentially be found in either human or animal feces. Salmonella outbreaks have been in the news quite frequently of late. Although often caused by an infected bird like a chicken, this strain of bacteria is also found and spread by human feces that contaminate foods too.
E-coli infections are also prevalent in the warmer months due to a young child defecating in a public pool resulting in other swimmers ingesting or absorbing the pathogen through delicate mouth, nose or eye membranes.
Both of the above pathogens can be spread rapidly due to improper pool cleaning or a food worker not washing hands after using the restroom. All public places can be contaminated with human or animal feces. Consider this public park restroom vandal incident where unknown suspects smeared feces on the restroom walls, sinks, and other surfaces.
Some situations where the services of a reliable Bakersfield biohazard cleanup team should be called in include:
- Public Park & Other Business Restrooms
- Cleaning Out a Hoarder’s Property
- After Cleanup of Drug Houses
- Homeless Community Hangouts
- Food & Beverage Companies Following Contamination
- Medical Facilities
- Following Massive Storm – Hurricanes, Tornadoes, etc.
How a Compassionate Cleanup Service Can Restore Property Following a Suicide
Those that have dealt with someone in their family or close circle of friends committing suicide often are left shaken and responsible for cleaning up the tragic aftermath. This past summer, the suicide deaths of fashion designer Kate Spade and popular traveling chef Anthony Bourdain have gotten a lot of press.
The sad facts are that suicide can strike any family regardless of age, sex, race, financial status or lifestyle. The ongoing opioid epidemic has also contributed to this country’s alarming unexpected deaths in every part of this country.
California has seen its share of suicides over the years. What is surprising to some is that there has been a steady increase of farmer suicides that have not been talked about much. Many farmers are operating farmlands that have been in their families for generations. With the slow demise of smaller farms, more farmers are finding the turmoil of losing or selling their inherited lands too much to bear.
Any suicide can be devastating and highly traumatic for the family members and friends left behind. Add the impact of having to clean up the space where it happened, and it is easy to see why many families decide to turn to a professional suicide cleanup service instead.
These professional suicide cleanup and property restoration specialists know how difficult this task is for the grieving family members. Many were not even aware that their loved one was contemplating such a dire end. As with any cleanup that contains biohazard elements, cleaning up a property after a suicide is not any different for professional suicide cleanup services such as Bakersfield’s Eco Bear property remediation company.
It is common for those considering suicide to withdraw from their normal activities and social pursuits. When a person dies, the body begins to decompose. This process happens faster if the weather is warmer or if it occurred inside a building.
Finding a loved one or a close friend who committed suicide is painful, shocking and deeply emotional. Anyone that finds themselves in this type of situation should heed the advice of health and safety experts by calling on professionals to safely and effectively clean up the spot.
Some common potentially infectious and dangerous substances found following suicide includes bodily fluids, human tissue, urine, feces, and other undesirable substances. Gunshot and stabbing victim cases can present greater cleanup challenges as the blood and other substances often are sprayed far. If the body wasn’t found for several days or longer, the cleaning process will need to be much more aggressive.
There are some common ways that people tend to use when committing suicide. These include:
- Drug or Alcohol Overdose
- Gunshot
- Cutting Vital Arteries
- Hanging
- Drowning
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
There could be any number of toxic chemicals, substances or harmful pathogens found on site where a suicide occurred. It is crucial to not become exposed to these things for the sake of the finder’s health and well-being. This is just one more reason to call for an expert property damage restoration company that has the advanced skills, equipment, supplies, and training to perform suicide cleanups like the understanding team at Eco Bear.
These suicide cleanup specialists will immediately ascertain if the area is safe. Afterward, they will get quickly to work in order to remove the gruesome evidence of this horrible event.
Some practical reasons for hiring a trained suicide cleanup service includes:
- Ensuring Safety as Contaminants, Dangerous Toxins or Harmful Pathogens Might be Present
- Protecting the Mental & Emotional Health of the Suicide Victim’s Grieving Family Members
- Expert Property Restoration – The Quicker that Appropriate Cleanup is Started Can Increase Chances of Successful Property Restoration
- Encourage Healthier Grieving & Moving On Processes that Allow the Victim to be Remembered Positively
There are many suicide outreach programs that can help grieving families and friends find healthy ways to cope with their unexpected loss. It is so important for these family members to get the support and professional mental health services to help them process this traumatic event in a positive manner.
How to Safely & Effectively Cleanup & Restore Biohazard Contamination in a Vehicle
There are times when it is necessary to clean and remove evidence of biohazardous substances from inside of a car or other vehicle. This might be due to suicide or other death that occurred in the vehicle, or it might be from exposure to an extremely contagious pathogen that causes severe illness.
Other reasons to have this process performed includes spills that have contaminants like urine, semen or bloodstains. There are additional toxins either chemical or found naturally that might require an aggressive cleanup service from a Bakersfield, California property restoration service such as Eco Bear.
Sometimes cars sold at auctions are listed as biohazardous. There may be dried up blood stains that could be small or large. A minor cut can leave behind a stain, and death inside of a vehicle can leave not only obvious stains but a foul rotting odor that is next to impossible to remove with ordinary cleaning measures.
In all of these cases, the expertise of a qualified Bakersfield biohazard cleanup company can remedy the situation. These experts have the specialized cleaning supplies and equipment necessary to extract all evidence of any biological contamination.
These cleaning specialists will also know how to properly deodorize the interior of the car to eliminate tough odors that can linger on for a long time.
How to Properly Dispose of Sharps in California
There are special rules that must be followed when disposing of sharps in California. Every state has some type of legislation that covers this topic. Before learning how to properly dispose of sharps in California, read on to discover some commonly used sharp items. These include:
- Hypodermic Needles and/or Syringes
- Glass Capillary Tubes
- Razers
- Scalpels
- Medical Tubing
- Blunted Needles
- Microscope Slides
- Lancets
- Pasteur Pipettes
- Microtomes
- Lab Equipment
- Glassware
Individuals should also be aware of how these sharps are classified for the appropriate method of disposal. These follow:
- Non-Contaminated – Doesn’t include needles, syringes or lancets as they should be considered potentially contaminated
- Biohazardous – This includes syringes, needles & lancets
- Chemically Contaminated
- Radioactive
When disposing of non-contaminated sharps excluding needles, syringes, and lancets, use a thick plastic bottle like a strong laundry detergent container. Remember to remove all warning labels. The container must be puncture-proof. The best alternative is to get an FDA approved sharps container. These are sold in medical supply stores or departments and online. Residents can also take advantage of community sharps container programs. Many offer free disposal.
Suspected or known contaminated sharps like needles, syringes or the lancets commonly used in diabetic blood testing should all be disposed of in a clearly labeled red FDA approved sharps container. Many drug stores, hospitals, and doctors offices have these available to their patients or can point them to the right agency. Never recap a used needle for safety. Do not overfill these sharp’s containers above the warning limit line. Never reach inside one of these containers.
Follow doctor instruction and employer policies when disposing of radioactive or chemically contaminated sharps.
There is an outstanding family operated biohazard cleanup & property restoration team from Bakersfield, CA ready to assist with all types of situations. Protect your physical, mental and emotional health by contacting Eco Bear for all of your property restoration and biohazard cleanup needs. This team of cleanup specialists will take care of all of the hard work for you. Call today for details, or browse this informative website for more valuable information regarding this topic.
