Maryland Biohazard Awareness

Most people are well aware of how dangerous biohazards are, but they often assume that danger is far away. It's usually thought that biohazards are only found in hospitals or CDC centers where they can't hurt anyone, but in reality you can find them anywhere right here in Maryland - from your job, to public bathrooms, to your child's school. Biohazards are an ever present danger, so it's important to be aware of the types of things you might encounter.

Human Contaminants

Any time you enter a public restroom, you have the chance to encounter human biohazards. The most common types include human waste, blood, and blood contaminants. It's common knowledge that contact with feces or blood is dangerous, but touching fecal or blood contaminated items is also harmful. Contact with human waste can lead to diseases like e coli and salmonella, and blood contaminants can cause HIV, Hepatitis and more.

Animal Waste

Baltimore is ranked as the 8th most rat infested city and Washington DC is ranked the 5th, and where there are rats there are rat droppings. This means that anytime you enter a building with a rat infestation, you have the potential to encounter animal waste biohazards. This includes every apartment building, restaurant, or public space you go into. Exposure to rat waste biohazards can lead to a number of serious bacterial infections including HPS, leptospirosis, and eosinophilic meningitis. But it's not just rats you have to keep an eye on. Other animal waste from cats, dogs, and other household pets also causes the same potential exposure to disease.

Sharps Waste

The biohazard you're least likely to encounter is sharps waste. Sharps waste is exactly what is sounds like - sharp objects that are potentially contaminated. The most common examples are needles, scalpels, glass slides and syringes. These kinds of sharp objects that come into contact with human bodily fluids should immediately be considered contaminated. Everything it touches, once used, is potentially infectious material. You're most likely to run into sharps waste in doctors' offices or hospitals, but there's still a chance you could encounter it in everyday life. Diabetic needles left in public places are a particularly worrisome type of sharps waste.

Keeping Yourself Safe

According to the CDC, biohazards can range from level 1 to level 4, but they are all potentially dangerous to humans. If you come into contact with any sort of biohazard, don't try to clean them up yourself. You could be exposed to a number of dangerous pathogens and diseases if you don't know safe disposal methods. The best solution is to call in certified professionals that know how to handle and dispose of these potential dangers. SI Restoration has professionals that have been cleaning up biohazards for 28 years. Every technician has been trained and certified in biohazard removal and are available for emergency services. Having a reputable Maryland based company dispose of biohazards is the only way to ensure everyone's safety.