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Santa Cruz is one of the most coveted places to live in all of America. The iconic beach boardwalk, redwoods, and surfers all give this glorious Southern California city its spark.
While few things could spoil this coastal city’s splendor, there are times when the need for biohazard cleanup services arise. When it does, the team at Eco Bear is here to provide prompt, professional biohazard remediation services to those who need it.
Biohazard Cleanup in Santa Cruz
Biohazards are biological substances that pose a threat to human beings, animals, and the environment. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, these include:
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Microorganisms
- Toxins derived from biological sources
These hazards can have severe and sometimes fatal health consequences.
When home and business owners find themselves face to face with biohazards, they need to seek the assistance of a professional, experienced biohazard cleanup team such as Eco Bear.
What Constitutes Biohazard Cleanup?
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, there are four biohazard classifications. These include:
- Biohazard Level One: BSL-1 is the CDC’s classification for low-risk microbes that pose little to no threat to healthy adults. These pathogens include bacteria and viruses, such as E. coli.
- Biohazard Level Two: BSL-2 encompasses pathogens that can cause mild illnesses in otherwise healthy adults. When these types of bacteria and viruses are present, you must take precautions, such as wearing PPE.
- Biohazard Level Three: BSL-3 includes exotic and indigenous pathogens that can cause severe or even fatal illnesses.
- Biohazard Level Four: The CDC’s BSL-4 classification refers to highly dangerous and exotic pathogens for which no treatments or vaccines exist. Examples of BSL-4 microbes include the Ebola and Marburg viruses.
At Eco Bear, we provide the following types of biohazard remediation services in the aftermath of:
- Crime scene cleanup
- Suicide cleanup
- Homeless encampment cleanup
- Unattended death cleanup
- Mold cleanup
- Meth and fentanyl cleanup
- Hoarding cleanup
- Rat Droppings cleanup
Rat Droppings Cleanup
It was just a few years ago that the county of Santa Cruz issued a public health alert regarding a rodent-spread disease. A Santa Cruz resident had contracted hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Hantavirus is a virus spread through the urine, droppings, and saliva of deer mice and other rodents.
Roughly 30% of hantavirus cases in California prove to be fatal. Moreover, 12% of the deer mouse population in California is suspected to be carrying this disease. Rat droppings are also responsible for the spread of salmonellosis and rat-bite fever.
Hantavirus and other diseases are spread when particles from rodent urine, saliva, and droppings are stirred into the air.
For this reason, a trained specialist should always be hired to remove any suspected rodent droppings and nesting materials.
Unattended Death Cleanup
An unattended death occurs when a person passes away alone. An unattended death may be due to a:
- Accident
- Homicide
- Suicide.
- Natural Causes.
Because there is always the chance of foul play when nobody witnesses a person passing away, the Santa Cruz County Coroner is involved in all unattended death cases.
They can be reached at:
Santa Cruz County Coroner
(831) 454-7790
Or visited at:
Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office
5200 Soquel Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Once the coroner concludes their investigation, they release the death scene. At this point, the cleanup process must commence. Unattended death cleanup, or biohazard remediation, includes the following steps:
- Cleaning
- Sanitizing
- Deodorizing
- Restoration
In most cases, unattended death cleanup is a task that is best left for the professionals. After all, these individuals possess the cleaning gear, personal protective equipment, and experienced that is needed to safely and effectively restore a property.
Crime Scene Cleanup in Santa Cruz
While Santa Cruz is considered a safe city, its crime rate is 94% higher than the national average. According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, violent crimes occurs at the shocking rate of 5.9 incidents per 1,000 residents. Incidents such as these necessitate crime scene cleanup. However, home and business owners are often barred from entering the crime scene. Biohazard remediation experts take universal precautions when cleaning, sanitizing, deodorizing, and restoring violent crime scenes.
Suicide Cleanup in Santa Cruz
Unfortunately, Santa Cruz County has a suicide death rate that is higher than the state and national averages. According to the latest statistics, 16.4 in every 100,000 people commits suicide in Santa Cruz. Between the years of 2014 and 2016 alone, Santa Cruz experienced an average of 45.7 suicides per year. The county has even developed its own Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan to try and help resolve the regional epidemic.
Suicide scenes can be gruesome and shocking, especially to the loved ones of the victims. Those left behind after the suicide are left to cope with feelings of grief. A compassionate, professional biohazard remediation company will eliminate physical hazards so that you and your loved ones can grieve healthily.
Eco Bear Is Here for You
Eco Bear is a family-owned business that is here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Call us at (818) 795-3614 if you need compassionate, professional biohazard cleanup in or around Santa Cruz, CA.
