Needles and sharps can be dangerous and carry infectous fluids. If you want to know how to properly dispose of your sharps, please visit https://safeneedledisposal.org.
You SHOULD NOT be throwing needles and sharps directly into the trash. They need to be handled carefully and by a trained professional. Did you know Bio-One will pick up these items for you?
If you are a part of the medical field, dental industry, or a tattoo shop, these are all places we can pick up from! If you think you might need this, take a look at our locations page to find a Bio-One franchise close to you.
Warm Weather = Busy Season
April 29, 2019 by Tom Gervasio
In this industry, it has proven that warm weather equals busy season. Can you guess what jobs are more prominent in warmer weather? If not obvious, I will explain. Decompositions, also known as Undiscovered Deaths, and Hoarding projects are more common and frequent during the warmer weather months. Why is that? What do Decompositions and Hoarding jobs have in common? Odor. You know how your trash cans smell more in the summer time while they sit in your hot garage or outside- same goes for deaths that go undiscovered for several days/weeks and houses that are hoarded (especially the ones with feces and/or rotten food).
The weather in Eastern PA has been getting hotter and so has our incoming phone call volume. Recently, Bio-One, had multiple hoarding/feces clean up job, and two undiscovered death calls. Starting in early May, we have a large hoarding job where the home is entirely affected by dog feces and urine- several years’ worth.
Undiscovered deaths are being discovered a bit sooner due to the smell that manifests from a decomposed body. Mold, feces, rotten food, dead rodents, rodent feces, and the list goes on and on with items/bio-hazards found in a hoarded home that cause those awful smells most people cannot handle (or their stomach for that matter). Is it a coincidence that the two most common jobs that come with warmer weather were the jobs we had the past month, probably not.
Does our job sound gross to you? I guess I can understand why, however I do not see it that way. All owners of Bio-One got into this business to help people despite how cliché that may sound. Who better to need help than a family member who discovered their loved one's death caused damage to their home? Or how about a person yearning for a healthier life and is to the point of desperation to get their home cleared out and cleaned? Hoarders do not like to call us and have strangers come into their home; they are embarrassed and feeling shame and guilt. But, they do call us and we respect and commend them for wanting to better their lives. We have the fortunate opportunity to help others on a day to day basis, how many people can honestly say that?
Thank you!
Tom Gervasio l Owner l Bio-One Chester County
484-995-3949
64 E Uwchlan Ave #208
Exton Pa 19341
Your Health is Our Concern
April 26, 2019 by Tom Gervasio
Over the past couple weeks, Bio-One Chester County has been busy with a variety of jobs, and health has been the concern on some of our client's minds. Bio-One uses proprietary chemicals designed to kill bacteria and blood borne pathogens. These chemicals are so versatile and have so many purposes. Crime scene remediation is not the only service we provide, we too are versatile and can serve so many purposes.
Cat urine remediation sounds almost impossible to anyone who knows the damage cat urine can bring. Using our chemicals, not only can we get rid of the smell of cat urine, but remediate the affected area(s) and bring the home to a safe condition all while smelling fresh. We had a cat urine remediation job just recently and it took our crew two days, and our clients are beyond happy. The home had a very strong cat urine odor, as soon as we walked into the front door, it was like a wind of cat urine hit us in the face. A child with asthma had just moved into this house and her asthma began to act up on a daily basis from the smell. Thankfully we were able to give our client's daughter a safer place to live.
Have you ever heard of C. Diff, also known as Clostridium Difficile, and did you know Bio-One can remediate a home affected by it? Usually the elderly are diagnosed with this infection, or a person who has been on antibiotics for a long period of time. This infection causes the person to have diarrhea, often times uncontrollably. Many elderly are hospitalized with this infection multiple times. Do you know why? Because the bacteria in the feces is alive, and if feces or particles of it end up on any surfaces of the home, the patient can potentially come home from the hospital, touch those surfaces containing the live infectious bacteria, and contract the infection all over again. Elderly have died from this infection- it is not something to be taken lightly- and Bio-One can help! We fog the entire home carefully, then using our amazing chemicals, we literally disinfect every surface of the home the person has touched or could touch- making sure the patient comes home to a safe environment.
We pride ourselves in our work because our we can literally save lives. We understand how our chemicals work and we know how to use them appropriately. Without our chemicals, we could not properly remediate scenes of/with blood, feces, and contagious bacteria. If you want something done the right way, call Bio-One Chester County!
Tom Gervasio l Owner l Bio-One Chester County
484-995-3949
64 E Uwchlan Ave #208
Exton PA, 19341
The Business of Helping People
Behind the Scenes
April 23, 2019 by Tom Gervasio
After the police are gone and the yellow tape has been cut, who is responsible for the remediation of crime scenes? The job is much more than cleaning up blood, tissue, human waste, or toxic drug residue. Bio-One's technicians are the unseen force that restore normalcy and stability to the families affected.
Historically, crime scene cleanup has usually been done by the victim's family. For many, facing the ghastly scene of such personal trauma was too much to bear and had lasting effects. In addition, scientific advancements in the 20th century have raised concerns over exposure to blood borne pathogens and chemical residue. The need for trained technicians has given way to Bio-One being one of the nation’s leading crime scene clean up companies.
One of our Crime Scene Cleanup technicians says, “We never know what we’re going to walk in to, so we go in with the mindset that we're there to help and we’ll do whatever it takes to get that family and their home back in order. It’s really the only way you can handle the things we see and touch”.
Our work is done in honorable silence and we keep it as discreet as we can. If there were a suicide, homicide, or undiscovered death in your neighborhood, it’s true that you would want to know. But, the details are not for everyone and we certainly want to respect the privacy of such delicate matters for the family members.
This job is not for everyone because the work can be both physically and emotionally taxing. On the other hand, it is one of the most rewarding professions one can do.
There truly are jobs that make us lose our faith in humanity but then when the work is complete and the family members cannot thank us enough for helping them….I realize why I personally am in this business and why our employees are so dedicated.
If you ever know anyone who may need our services OR you are interested in helping others please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Help First, Business Second
Tom Gervasio
Bio-One
Owner/Lead Technician
484-995-3949
Heartbroken Over Suicide
April 19 2019 By Tom Gervasio
I am writing this blog today with a heavy, heavy heart. The Suicide rate in Pennsylvania has gone up 34 percent since 1999. 34 Percent! What is going on in today's society that is so different than 25 or 30 years ago? Do the shifts in our society have a hand in the dramatic increase? Media outlet addictions, selfies, political wars, religious wars, more openly gay and lesbian teenagers, rise in crime rates, rise in divorce rates, and the list goes on and on as to how our society has changed. Are people overwhelmed with these changes- whether it being themselves who are the change or themselves who cannot accept the change? So many 'what ifs' but only one fact- there is a 30 percent increase in people taking their own lives.
Military veterans are killing themselves at a tragic rate of at least 20 suicides a day. Some would say to tell others to reach out if they feel suicidal to help prevent them from committing the irreversible act. Others would say that people who deal with depression and suicidal ideation are not in the mind set to reach out for help so the responsibility is on the friends and family to reach out to them- that sometimes the seemingly strongest and happiest people are dealing with inner demons on a daily basis. If that is the case, and I believe it is, then what can be done to save those lives? I wish I knew the answer.
In just the month of January, I was called for 3 suicides in Chester County alone, one of which will live with me forever. My local police department called me at about 18:30 from the scene of a home where a 15 year old boy had shot himself in his basement with his family upstairs. The coroner was currently there and I was asked to be on standby for when they leave so I was cleared to come and perform the remediation. Speaking with the family after a tragedy is always tough, I’d say the toughest part of my job, however, this one was different. I was looking into the eyes of a man who just lost his son a couple hours prior and saw him trying to stay strong until we were all gone. I have a son who is 11 months old as of this week, and he will go to the high school that this boy was attending. We worked until about only midnight but I don’t think I slept a wink that night.
This I am sure upset you to read, however this is what we do on a daily basis. We work with families who are going through such horrific times, and our hearts are always 100 percent with the family to help ease even just an ounce of their stress and pain. Something as simple as us calling in the claim to their home owner's insurance for the family relieves them of one less task to take on when dealing with such an unexpected heartbreak. Bio-One is always here to help. Arriving when wanted, working professionally and proficiently, expressing compassion and a shoulder to cry on if needed, and following up afterwards, we, Bio-One, make a difference. That day we made a small difference to a family who fell victim to Suicide, and that small difference is the reason we do what we do- Help First, Business Second.
Tom Gervasio l Owner l Bio-One
484-995-3949
64 E Uwchlan Ave #208
Exton PA 19341
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