David’s neighbour died alone. He now knows what comes next
Biohazard cleaner Benjamin Mustonen says odor is only part of the problem.
In such cases, where an individual has not been discovered for several weeks, decomposition creates significant risks of pathogens that may leak into surrounding environments.
“Decomposition releases large amounts of body fluids, which can contain blood-borne pathogens such as hepatitis and HIV,” he explains.
“There are also bacterial pathogens, such as E. coli and clostridium, that can persist on surfaces for weeks and remain infectious. [and then the risk of] insect activity.”
Mustonen says droppings can seep into anything that’s porous, like carpet, subflooring, subflooring, wood and concrete, and often cleaning can become “more of a restoration job.”
“In cases where more than one residence is next to each other, body fluids can also get under the walls.
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“The general rule is that you should remove anything that is porous, anything that is not structural.”
Mustonen is a former healthcare worker who started his professional biohazard cleanup business several years ago. It provides a range of services including crime scenes, forensics, hoarders’ homes and unattended deaths.
He explains that biohazard and trauma cleaners receive special training and use advanced equipment and products to identify contaminated surfaces, eliminate pathogens, and return areas to a safe condition.
Although the job requires a certain level of steeliness, Mustonen says decontaminating an environment and returning it to a pristine state can be “quite cathartic.”
“Police and paramedics, for example, jump in when things are at their worst possible,” he says. “I’ll clean up a scene and leave it so no one knows what happened there.”
The body company at Kern’s complex finally launched a biohazard cleanup service about a month after his neighbor’s death.
It’s been a tough few weeks for Kern, as she and her partner avoid spending time on the balcony because of the smell.
“As soon as I smell it [the odour from downstairs]”You associate it with death and that creates a kind of spiral,” he said.
While life returns to normal in the complex, the 24-year-old young man thinks about how the situation might have turned out differently if he had checked in earlier.
“It’s a good reminder to check in on your neighbors and your community.”
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