What To Do If You’ve Discovered Biohazards in a Car
Finding biohazard contamination in a car you’ve recently purchased is not the expectation to have for a car you hope to drive every day. However, these situations are a real possibility when purchasing a car through an online auction, dealership, or private seller. Ordinarily, the best way to prevent something like this is to check and test drive the car in person before purchasing. However, when it’s a good online deal, you may not be able to do so.
So, is there anything that can be done to protect yourself before and after the purchase? Before purchasing, yes, you can and should always read about the policies of buying a car and disputing issues through the auctioneer website (e.g. Copart, Carmax). You can also gather as much information about the type of incident that happened in the car, though the CARFAX alone is usually not enough.
And if you’ve already purchased the car to discover biohazards in it later – it may be tempting to clean the car yourself. However, professional biohazard cleaners exist to handle these types of situations. These crews are equipped with the correct PPE and cleaning supplies to take care of all drug residue and biohazardous situations so you don’t have to risk your own health.
The smarter, more efficient way of going about incidents like these is to call a professional biohazard cleaning company like the National Crime Scene Cleanup (NCSC) and get the situation properly assessed and cleaned right away.
Before You Purchase, Read and Understand All Policies
When buying online, you want to carefully read all of the terms and conditions, contracts, and policies regarding returns. The purchase policy varies greatly depending on where you’re purchasing from. Yes, while most states and sellers have “lemon laws” to protect purchases made within a given amount of time, mold or bodily fluids that weren’t properly treated can be considered a gray area. Copart does offer protection to its members however there are some limitations.
You’ll definitely want to contact the seller directly first to verify their policy, including situations where the car is unsafe due to a contaminated interior and doesn’t meet the value or expectation of what was in the listing.
What To Do When The Car You Purchased Has Bio
Do not drive, enter, or stay in the car under any circumstances. Even if there’s only a suggestively foul odor with no visible matter present, it should be considered a highly contagious, potentially dangerous environment. Pathogens can spread as far as 200 feet from the source and with it comes a wider spread of contamination.
Teams like NCSC are supplied with professional PPE and cleaning supplies to safely and effectively treat these situations. If you’re dealing with this situation right now, you’ll want to give us a call.
How Biohazard Car Remediation Works
Biohazard remediation is an in-depth, thorough process that requires the lawful observance to specific procedures. It’s very important to observe safety throughout if the issue is a result of an improper cleanup by an untrained crew or unlicensed company. Following OSHA procedures, a licensed crew will:
A biohazard technician cleaning a biohazard car.
- Devise a plan to reduce exposure
- Determine the equipment required. This typically includes deciding on the appropriate PPE to wear as well as the most well-suited EPA-registered disinfectant to use.
- Locate the car and verify it’s the correct one with the client.
- Document and photograph damages, if applicable.
- Thoroughly spray the exterior of the car.
- Test the air and bacterial levels of the vehicle.
- Carefully and methodically treat the interior using an EPA-registered disinfectant.
- Treat the air using a state-of-the-art ozone machine.
- Test the air and bacterial levels of the car.
It may appear simple, but adhering to all of the local and national laws and regulations, in addition to removing paneling and seats to thoroughly clean the car takes training, experience, and skill.
Hire The Pros
Hiring a licensed company or crew is essential to properly remediate the issue. When an unlicensed company or crew takes care of the situation, foul odors and matter may continue to remain persistent. That’s because when a biohazard spill infiltrates carpet or paneling it can seep through the material and become nonvisible – giving the illusion that it’s clean when only the surface has been treated.
A professional company will know and recognize what proper response is required to the situation, including what needs to be replaced to safely restore the vehicle back to public health standards. Oftentimes at little to no cost to you. NCSC works with most car insurance providers.
National Crime Scene Cleanup (NCSC) does more than just crime scene cleanups. Crews are fully licensed to treat all biohazards and comply with laws and regulations to remove, remediate, and transport said waste. Stationed in over 48 states, NCSC is here to help with any type of biohazards you may be facing–including medical waste (e.g. IV needles) and deadly drug contaminations (e.g. fentanyl). Call any time 24/7/365.
