Hibiscrub

[whitelaw]

I hope Krela will allow this to stay at least for a while.

For urbexers who explore hospitals, mortuaries and other places where biological hazards may be present, a product called Hibiscrub is now widely available. It is used in mortuaries and operating theatres and a wash down with that is way better than Dettol.

Remember those slides and tissue blocks at West Park? That just shows what a sloppy clean up looks like. Technically, those specimens belong to HM Coroner, and should a relative request them back for interment they should be provided. The tissue blocks in the shots I've seen are brain, adrenal glands, at least one prostate section, plus a whole host of kidney and liver.

These are made by encasing the raw specimen (and any bugs) in paraffin wax before sectioning.

Anyway, a couple of quid invested in a few bottles of Hibi is money well spent.

Stay safe out there guys.

 

[krela]

Because dead humans are SOOOOO much worse than the dead decomposing animals which litter derelict places... *boggle*

Nothing wrong with good hygiene in either case though.

 

[woodland pixie]

That is so rank...I'l leave the hospitals/mortuaries etc to you guys I think! But just thought I'd mention that the chemicals in these hand sanitisers can actually change our DNA and give migraines and many other health problems. You can easily make your own with water and tea tree..or just rub tea tree oil on hands after poking around in death

 

[rambling rose]

While on the subject of hazards of exploring - moulds and fungal spores can be inhaled and settle in your lungs. Be careful exploring mouldy basements etc.

 

[TeeJF]

Doesn't need to be a morgue to merit a cautious approach either - I'm thinking of the bad infection I got from dunking a leg in a flooded inspection pit in the Maginot Line last year. They thought I had encephalitis!

On much the same tack, do any of you fellow 'splorers come out of sites with a stonking bad head? We get it practically every time and I think it has much to do with pollutants, both fungal and chemical, in the air when it has been liberated by the damp.

 

[krela]

There is a reasonably comprehensive list of things to look out for on the pages linked from the front page of this site under the useful info heading...

 

[Faing]

Whenever any of us are in derelict places we shold all be awre of the most common and dedly leptospirosis, othrwise know as weils disease. it is dead easy caught and poses a special risk in areas where standingg water is laid about. iti s genrally wise to wear rubber gloves when crawling round as weils is spread through cuts and grazes on your skin coming in contact with infected water. a neighbour of mine recently died from this and it is always on me mind. so take care.

 

[krela]

The incidence of weils disease in the UK is minuscule (less than 50 people per annum in the UK if I remember correctly) and almost all of them (80%+) contract it via running watercourses in the course of canoeing or kayaking, or work in fields which put them in constant contact with sources of contamination (sewage workers, pest control workers etc). So, it's not at all common and not at all easily caught, it's actually incredibly rare.

Again, there is nothing wrong with practising good hygiene though.

 

[Catmandoo]

High five to that Krela. And everyone else for the good advice.
I've worked in the drainage industry for 10 years (last 18months as a supervisor now) and used to come into regular contact with sewerage, daily in fact. My immune system was that of a machine and sickness was never an issue for me, that's not to say that I didn't sustain an obsessive level of hygiene though, as you couldn't afford not to. In this industry inhailation of H2S (Hydrogen Sulphide) amongst other particals will get into your system inevitably regardless what you do. SPS maintenance (waste deep in ****), blockage clearance/line cleaning that generates contaminated mist that's easily breathed in. Culvert cleaning full of rat activity feeding you the thought of leptospirosis at every moment. It's all there on a platter. And that's not to take into consideration about the biological impact from hospitals, morgues, even slaughterhouses, Animal parts. The slaughterhouse in Birmingham used to cause us so much hassle regularly blocking the network with parts that do not flow away as well as they thought. Not these days now as an improvement notice was served years ago. I'll NEVER forget the smell of a rotting half pig that I had the pleasure to remove 8 years ago stuck in a rag chain on a trunk sewer whilst half of Brum was shitting on me at a rate of 400 litres a second filling my waders. And those who think they have it hard for a living, I'll challenge you to think again.

Working with Severn Trent Water in waste water distribution for these years I have only ever worked with one chap who was suspected and diagnosed with Weils disease and was treated immediately. It's not a pretty site to see and something that'd be very harsh to wish upon an enemy. 1 case, 10 years, very rare as Krela has pointed.

But as mentioned above, stay clean, think about cross contamination. Will you take photos with the gloves you've just climbed down those step irons with, to then not to wear gloves another time touching the same camera? Will you sit in your car seat with those trousers you've just shuffled along the floor/wall with, to then sit in the same car seat, different trousers different day, sofa at home? Kids chilling on sofa? You get my drift. I am very OCD with cross contamination, But then with 3 kids I have to be.

Inside tunnels/caves with bat activity would also be an idea to consider Histoplasmosis which is a nasty lung infection from inhaling bat droppings. Not literally, but particles in the air will play the predominant part for settling your down with this. Again, not very nice. But also on the walls it'd be like a festival toilet on a Sunday night.

Stay clean