Once somebody dies there’s a whole host of potential health hazards that need to be taken into consideration.
That’s why we always recommend that after 911 is called after the coroner has left, that the family of the deceased or an agent places their next call to us. It’s imperative that the scene is properly cleaned and decontaminated. Not just for peace of mind for the family but also for the sake of their health and the health of any potential future occupants.
Just one drop of blood could contain diseases that could be problematic for you for years to come.
That’s scary enough but once a body dies and is undiscovered for a long period of time, those potential health risks increase exponentially! That’s why you need a company that is trained and equipped to deal with these types of situations. That’s why you need Advanced Bio Treatment.
Not too long ago we received a call from an attorney up in Baltimore, MD. He was calling on behalf of a family he represented who desperately needed our services. They had just discovered their son had passed away in his high-rise condo and it turns out he had been dead for quite a while. They were beside themselves with grief so the attorney acted as an agent for them to help spare them any more suffering.
We geared up and headed to one of the nicer neighborhoods in Baltimore. As we approached the high-rise building, we were greeted by the superintendent. He led us inside and once we entered the hallway the putrid aroma of decaying flesh immediately assaulted my nose. We might do this for a living but gross still remains gross. The stench made my eyes water and I could feel my throat close and my stomach tightens, but we’re professionals. I checked my reaction, composed myself and we continued on. Looking over at the super, he wasn’t having as much luck so he was trying to quickly explain what had happened as he unlocked the door.
He told us that another tenant had complained of what they assumed was a dead rat in the vents but once the matter was looked into it was quickly figured out that the stench of decay didn’t belong to a rat. That’s when the ball started rolling and led to us getting the call to restore this property for resale.
Once the details were given and the door was unlocked the superintendent excused himself and all but ran from the area. When we opened the door we understood why he made such a hasty retreat. The smell in the hallway was bad but once he entered the unit the smell increased tenfold!
Hundreds if not thousands of flies swarmed the ceilings and walls of the condo with almost as many of their own dead littering the carpet. I don’t know how they always find their way to this kind of scene but they do. We were able to follow the mass of insects back to the bedroom where we found a mattress covered in a brownish ooze that was the liquefied remains of our unattended victim.
We started our process and wrapped the mattress in several layers of plastic, preparing it for removal when we saw on the ground a syringe full of what looked like blood and heroin. It made more sense now how such a young man died so soon in life.
The discovery of paraphernalia changed the game for us. Not only would we have to eliminate the odor and kill all the flies that made this scene their new home but we’d also have to totally decontaminate for any communicable diseases such as staph, herpes, HIV, hepatitis, and many more potential hazards. This line of work doesn’t afford room for error at all so we had to make sure we were extremely thorough.
Luckily for us, the victim’s overdose occurred in his bed so the majority of the bodily fluids and the stench were contained by the mattress. Once we removed that, things went much smoother and within a couple of days we had the place looking (and smelling) like new. The Super was convinced that the smell was never going away so he was quite surprised at how things turned out when we handed him the keys back.
As we were leaving I started wondering about this poor guy who OD’ed alone in his bed. Did his family know about his drug use before? Did he try to get help? So many questions left swirling around the case of this wasted youth. This job may be rewarding by helping provide closure for families, but most of your own questions never get answered. As long as we get to help the families, I can live with that trade-off.
We hope you never need our services but if you do just know that ABT is here to help you regardless of the hour. Feel free to call us at 800-295-1684 if you need guidance or have questions.
