Things that Are (and Are Not) Biohazard Materials
Biohazard materials can be found everywhere, from the workplace to the classroom. Biohazard materials can be defined as biological materials that are contaminated with potentially infectious materials. It’s important to differentiate between things that are and are not biohazard materials.
What is the definition of biohazard materials?
Biohazards can be in the form of microorganisms, plants, animals, or their byproducts. A person, animal or even object that comes into contact with biohazard materials can potentially become contaminated by them. As a result, it is critical that biohazard materials be carefully and properly handled.
What are examples of biohazard materials?
Medical facilities produce a consistent supply of biohazard waste. Infectious waste, for example, includes blood and blood byproducts, blood transfusion bags and suction canisters, IV tubing, and laboratory agents, such as cultures or stocks, that may be contaminated with disease.
Since hospitals are places that are concentrated with people suffering from illness, biohazard materials are abundant here. Any type of waste that comes from the room of a patient diagnosed with a communicable disease is considered to be biohazard material.
Other types of biohazard materials from a hospital setting include pathological waste, such as waste from biopsies, and sharp waste, like needles, broken glass vials, and scalpels. Empty vials used to inject vaccines into patients are also a type of biohazard material.
Liquid medical waste is also common in medical facilities and is classified as biohazard material. Clinical specimen liquids, for example, fall into this category. Bodily fluids and blood that may contain infectious materials are categorized as biohazard waste materials and should be properly disposed of.
Specific examples of human body fluids commonly found in hospitals and that are considered biohazard materials include cerebrospinal fluids, pleural fluids, semen, vaginal secretions, pericardial fluid, saliva peritoneal fluid, and amniotic fluid from a mother who has just given birth.
While treating patients, medical personnel also produce biohazard materials. Doctors wear surgical masks, gowns, and gloves—all of which are deemed biohazard materials after they are used. Swabs and gauze saturated with blood, bodily fluids, or other infectious agents are biohazard materials.
While hospital settings are abundant with a range of biohazard materials, so are veterinary clinics. Animal waste, including animal carcasses and body parts, are biohazard materials. The bedding used by animals that are infected with pathogenic organisms also falls into this category.
What are examples of non-biohazard materials?
Medical facilities produce a large amount of biohazard materials. However, hospital settings also handle plenty of materials that are not considered to be biohazard materials. In fact, the majority of medical waste from hospitals, specifically 85 percent, is not classified as biohazard materials.
Medical waste that is not considered hazardous includes plastic packaging, paper and cardboard, clean glass, and plastic as well as products used to run the offices. In California, aerosol cans that are used for treatment or that contain medical products are not biohazard materials when completely depleted.
What are the levels of biohazard waste?
Biohazard waste is separated into four categories based on its level of danger. Biohazard Level I pathogens have minimal threat to humans or the environment; an example is E. Coli. Biohazard Level II agents cause severe illness when a person comes into direct contact with them; an example is HIV.
Biohazard Level III is an agent that can become airborne and cause serious illness or disease; pathogens that fall under this level include tuberculosis. Biohazard Level IV is a pathogen that can causes life-threatening disease and has no treatment; an example is the Ebola virus.
How should biohazard waste be handled?
Considering the dangers involved in handling biohazard waste, it must be properly disposed of in the appropriate containers. Biohazard waste, such as sharps, can cut the skin and infect the individual. Sharps must be disposed of in puncture-resistant sharps containers and correctly labeled.
Liquid biohazard waste must also be disposed of in designated vacuum flasks that are both leak-proof and unbreakable. The flasks may be fitted with HEPA filters and cleaned when they are either half full or on a regular schedule, such as on a weekly basis.
Solid biohazard waste must likewise be contained in sturdy, leak-proof containers lined with biohazard bags. These containers should be labeled as biohazard waste material. The contents of one biohazard bag should not be emptied into another, as this can increase the risk of contamination.
Although biohazard waste can be found in medical settings, the waste may also appear in an area where a violent crime has been committed, a suicide has taken place, an accident had occurred or in the wake of an unattended death.
Due to the harmful pathogens that biohazard materials contain, it is important that trained trauma cleaning specialists from Aftermath Services handle, remove, and discard them. Our crews are equipped with the skill and equipment to safely remove biohazard materials from your home or business.
Our services are used in numerous scenarios. We’ve cleaned homes where hoarding has occurred. Crews from Aftermath Services have cleaned crime scenes, rooms where suicide, trauma, or homicide have occurred as well as areas that have been sprayed with tear gas or pepper spray.
Aftermath Services includes the sanitization, disinfection, and deodorization of your property. Our goal is to return your property to a hygienic and habitable condition. The biohazard waste is transported to a licensed facility that specializes in medical waste disposal. We also assist with insurance claims.
When you choose to work with Aftermath Services, you can expect professionalism and sensitivity in our handling of the situation. Our technicians handle biohazard cleanup every day and understand the need for compassion during the difficult times surrounding traumatic events.
When you need reliable biohazard cleanup for sewage removal or the disposal of hazardous substances, call Aftermath Services. Our crews stand by 24 hours a day to respond quickly to your emergency in Detroit, Michigan. Call us today so you can return to your daily life as soon as possible.