In the decade spanning 2007-2017, suicide rates for adolescents aged 13-19 years tripled. They have not fallen since. Two things happened in 2007 that would forever change the social fabric and experiences of teens: Facebook launched as a free service to the public, and apple released the first iPhone. Not long after this, an equally alarming trend proliferated on the other end of the demographic scale. Throughout America’s rustbelt, there has been a sharp increase in what are called deaths of despair – deaths by suicide, drug overdose, or acute alcohol poisoning. These occur mostly in working age adults that become displaced out of the workforce, usually because of trade or automation. All this death is wreaking havoc on our communities, with devastating consequences for those who remain. Sadly, this has created a demand for professional suicide cleanup services.

Unintended consequences

One aspect of the issue that has not received as much media attention are the biohazards that suicides impose. One common post-suicide biohazard is blood borne pathogens, like HIV and hepatitis. When somebody who is HIV positive or has hepatitis commits suicide, any blood that splatters will contain active virus. This is a problem because if someone else were to come in contact with that spattered blood, they would be at risk of infection too. For any competent suicide cleanup services crew, a great deal of the billable hours will be devoted just to dealing with blood spatter. The reason for this is twofold: blood spatter is associated with the methods that suicidal people choose, and infected blood is highly pathogenic.

Another biohazard are gastrointestinal bacteria that leak out of abdominal wounds. One example is Carbapenem-Resistant Entrobacteriaceae (CRE). This is a highly resilient super bug that is found in people’s stomachs. If CRE comes in contact with the bloodstream it can be fatal. When providing suicide cleanup services, technicians will take precautions to ensure that, if the victim has a stomach wound, that there are robust anti-bacterial measures taken to ensure that stomach fluids that escaped are dealt with. Another gastrointestinal bacterium that is given similar priority is clostridium difficile or C. Diff. There are also bacteria found on skin that can cause problems when introduced into the bloodstream. All of these are threats of potential infection that must be dealt with.

The value of biomarkers

All animals, plants and bacteria use adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as their working form of energy. For this reason, it would not make sense for a doctor to test a patient for ATP. Interestingly, suicide cleanup services use it as a biomarker for cleanliness. Where there is a dead body, there will be high concentrations of ATP from the person’s cells. After performing cleaning procedures, technicians will test the area for concentrations of ATP. If there are many spots with elevated concentrations, it means that more cleaning is required.

The area will be cleaned as many times as needed until ATP levels test low enough to be deemed clean. It is important to choose a suicide cleanup service contractor that follows best practices set out by the American Bio Recovery Association (ABRA) because they are the ones that determine what the minimum safe ATP concentration level will be.

The toll

We will never be able to stop everyone from harming themselves. If nothing else, it is good to be prepared when someone does. Unfortunately, suicide cleanup services are an expense that often get passed on to the relatives a person leaves behind. This is often why people choose to remediate a scene themselves. Aside from there being serious consequences if cleaning is not done well, there is also the potential for trauma and post traumatic stress when going into a place where someone you knew passed away tragically.

Despite the cost, professional suicide cleanup services are worth the investment. You want the space where the event occurred to be clean, safe and habitable again. If anything is left behind or missed it can cause odors and bacteria growth that can be harmful to the health of anyone in the space. Furnishing, textiles and flooring may need to be removed and cleaned or completely replaced to achieve this. Don’t underestimate the complexity or difficulty of this type of work. If you find yourself in this type of situation, contact professionals for quotes. You don’t have to do it alone.