As human blood, tissue, organs, etc. are vital to our lives, it's difficult to imagine them being hazardous to us and others. But in fact, blood contains bloodborne pathogens or potentially dangerous infectious diseases.

Beyond that, the human body attracts parasites and microbes that can infect other beings. Your own body draws the same microbes and parasites, which is part of the reason why we still advise hiring a professional, even when it's your own fluids.

A common misconception is that blood is safer once it's dried, but this is wrong. Blood that has been left to dry has had even more time to attract parasites and dangerous microbes.

Any time a trauma happens to a body (such as a gunshot to the head), hazardous biomatter is splattered around the room and can be spread without realizing. When this happens, the danger to other living things is present but not always apparent.

When contact is made, biohazardous infectious materials can be transmitted without realizing.

There are certainly more biohazardous bodily fluids than the ones we've listed below, but here are the ones that you absolutely should know:

• Saliva, known to spread infectious diseases (e.g. mononucleosis)
• Semen, which can pass transmissible contagious enveloped viruses
• Vaginal secretions, also liable to transmit contagious viruses
• Vomit, feces, and urine
• Amniotic fluid (clear, slightly yellow fluid released during childbirth)

During a trauma scene, equally dangerous body fluids are at risk of exposure, such as:

• Cerebral spinal fluid, completely clear like water
• Joint (Synovial) fluid, which varies greatly in thickness and color, from red to yellow
• Lung lining (Pleural) fluid, which can be a cloudy or translucent greenish-yellow
• Heart lining (Pericardial) fluid, generally a milky yellow
• Peritoneal fluid (Abdominal), varying greatly from a highly translucent to opaque yellowish-orange

If you recognize these fluids by these colors, please call us on our 24/7 hotline right away.

Animal waste poses health risks to humans as well. Animal waste is defined as "All animal carcasses, body parts, excrement, fluids, or bedding material from [infected] animals [... that can pass infectious disease ...] to humans."

Examples of Biological Hazards from Animal Waste include:

• buildings that were not completely treated for a rodent problem
• places where dead pets were not been properly disposed of
• hoarder homes overwhelmed by pet excrement

All of these can spread infections or diseases to anyone that comes in contact with them. Hoarding home cleanups are more complicated, requiring crews specialized in more than just animal waste removal services.

Microbial waste is a biological hazard unseen by the naked eye that endangers public health while spreading in the surrounding environment. This includes all outbreaks, infections, and pandemics, whether they are bacterial or viral in nature.

Any items used to study microbes in a lab, such as Petri dishes or test tubes, are additionally considered hazardous waste. When handled improperly, these items can be spread accidentally into the house, infecting the upholstery, cars, and carpets.

Viruses and bacteria evolve to spread rapidly, which makes it even more important to sanitize areas that come into contact with microbial waste in a proper manner. For outbreaks like that of Ebola, professionals need to disinfect the contamination.

Examples of microbial waste include:

• Viruses
• Bacteria
• Prion
• Fungi
• Rickettsia
• Parasites
• Chlamydia
• Recombinant products
• Allergens
• Cultured human and animal cells

Sharps waste is any biological hazard capable of piercing the skin. These biohazardous items put you at risk of coming in contact with potentially infectious material like blood or bacteria.

Examples of sharps waste include:

• Needles (whether attached to a syringe or covered by a plastic guard)
• IV tubing with the needle attached
• Glass Pasteur pipettes
• Disposable glass pipettes;
• Scalpels, razor blades, and lancets
• Broken glass and splintered plastic when contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious material

Sharps hazards are often found at the scene of drug overdoses. As the meth crisis in this country increases, it has become increasingly common for people to come in contact with drug needles and other paraphernalia. This can be extremely dangerous and should be left to professionals.

Landlords are also finding that homes and apartments they've rented out have been turned into Meth Labs. These labs often contain broken glass and other sharps hazards, which could be dangerous to human health.

Drugs found on these premises pose a threat to living organisms even though they cannot self replicate. Therefore, they are considered chemical hazards that must be disposed of in a safe and responsible manner.

If you've discovered your property may have meth lab residue, please call our 24/7 hotline for a cleanup.

Biohazard cleanups are never timely. A loved one may have taken their life suddenly in their apartment, and you need it to be cleaned safely.

Maybe you've discovered your property has been used as a meth lab, and you may need to make sure there are no hazardous substances left in the area.

Life throws us curve balls that we're not expecting all too often. You may never have expected something like this to happen, but it does, and you're not alone.

The good news is that Bio Recovery is here to help. As an expert in biohazard remediation with over two decades of experience and numerous accolades, we've cleaned a variety of undesirable scenes of every scope and size, some even worse than the movies.

We are certified and equipped to handle all 4 levels of biohazards and are dedicated to protecting public health and safety.

Our goals as professionals is to ensure all surfaces and structural components are sterilized and safe to live in again. We know how difficult a time this is for you, and our teams will work quickly, quietly, and discreetly so you can get on with your life and return safely to your home, property, or workplace.

We can't stop these issues from happening, but we can help prevent further damage by cleaning your home or workplace so you can get a jumpstart on normality, usually with little or no out-of-pocket cost to you.