In Marysville, a sewage backup, a failed septic system, or other biohazard waste such as discarded needles or rodent droppings is cleaned up by an independent cleanup company that the owner, landlord or property manager hires directly. First, keep people and pets away from the area; to report a sewage problem or ask about a septic system, contact the Snohomish County Health Department1 at 425-339-5200. Biohazard Network does not clean or do any of the work; we can connect you with an independent local company.
Finding this is stressful, and it is fine to let someone else handle it. A biohazard is any material, such as sewage, blood or animal waste, that can carry germs that make people sick.
What this service covers
This page is about contamination that is not tied to a death or a crime:
- Sewage backups inside a building and septic failures.
- Needles and other sharps, meaning items like syringes, lancets and blades that can puncture skin.
- Rodent droppings and nests.
- Contaminated items left in rentals, vacant properties and businesses.
Household cleaning falls short because sewage soaks into porous materials, which are materials like drywall, carpet and insulation that absorb liquid and are hard to clean all the way through. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) says on its Mold page to hire a cleaning professional if a moldy area has been contaminated by sewage or is in hidden places, and not to paint or caulk over mold.
Rodent droppings and hantavirus
DOH2’s Hantavirus page says infected deer mice live throughout the state and can shed the virus in their droppings, and people can be exposed by breathing dust stirred up while cleaning droppings or nests. So DOH says not to vacuum or sweep, and notes that a dust mask does not protect against viruses. Because the age of a dropping can’t be told, treat every dropping as infectious.
A former drug lab is a separate job
A former drug lab is a different job in Washington, because decontamination workers, supervisors and contractors must be certified through DOH’s Drug Lab Cleanup Program, and the Snohomish County Health Department1 has a separate Drug Contaminated Properties program.
What to do first
- Stay out and keep others out. Do not walk through the affected area.
- Do not handle needles or droppings by hand. Leave them where they are.
- If a person has died, this is a different situation. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office3 determines the cause and manner of death of persons who die suddenly, violently or unexpectedly while in apparent good health, and the authorities control the scene until they release it. See Unattended Death Cleanup in Marysville, WA.
- Renters: keep damaged things for now. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) says the insurer may want to inspect them, and to ask the insurance company what to do if they are contaminated and unsafe to handle.
What the process looks like
Each company sets its own methods, so ask for a written plan covering these steps:
- Assessment. The company checks what is contaminated and how far it has spread.
- Protection and containment. The crew wears protective equipment, and containment means sealing off the work area so contamination does not reach clean rooms.
- Removal. Porous materials that sewage has reached are cut out, and sharps are packed for safe transport.
- Disinfection. This means applying a product that kills germs on surfaces after they have been cleaned.
- Odor work. Once the source is gone, remaining odor can be treated; see Odor Remediation in Marysville, WA.
- Drying and rebuilding. A sewage backup is also water damage, so once the biohazard is removed, restoration can follow; see How Biohazard Cleanup Fits With Water, Fire and Mold Restoration.
- Records. Ask for photos, a written scope of work and disposal paperwork for your insurer. The OIC4 says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim, and that most homeowner policies don’t cover gradual leaks.
Usually covered: If your home is on a sewer system, sewer backup coverage can be added to a home policy as an optional endorsement, says the Insurance Commissioner’s flood insurance page5.
Usually not covered: A standard home policy does not cover sewer backup, but it can be added as an optional endorsement, says the Insurance Commissioner’s flood insurance page5. If you rent, your landlord’s or property management company’s policy covers the building but not your belongings, says the Commissioner’s renter insurance page.
Ask your insurer: “Does my policy include a sewer backup endorsement, and does it cover this backup?” Source: Learn how home insurance works (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)
How the waste has to leave the property
Biomedical waste is the legal name for specific kinds of contaminated material that a collection company must keep apart from ordinary garbage. Washington’s definition is limited to the types listed in RCW 70A.228.010, including discarded human blood and sharps waste such as needles and syringes, so ask the company which of the materials it removes falls under that list.
A company that collects, transports and disposes of biomedical waste must keep a biomedical waste operating plan that keeps that waste separate from other solid waste and lets only authorized, properly trained people handle it. For other material, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) says companies must obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity before transporting solid waste for pay. Ask who will haul each kind of material and for a record of where it went.
Checking a company before you hire
Ask any company how its crew follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030 (bloodborne pathogens are germs carried in blood that can cause disease), and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, published by the IICRC, the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a non-profit for the cleaning and restoration industries. You can also look the business up yourself in the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and the certifications guide explains what each of these means.
Marysville and Snohomish County details
Marysville is an incorporated city, so city offices handle permits and code issues. If rebuilding means replacing walls or floors, ask whether a permit is needed: Building Services (Community Development) reviews and inspects plans and structures for compliance with city code, and building permit applications go through the city’s Permit Portal. For a neglected rental or vacant property, the Marysville Police Department’s Code Enforcement Unit administers the chapters of the Marysville Municipal Code that address public health, public nuisance and safety issues.
Snohomish County Health Department1 programs that may apply include Septic, Report a Sewage Complaint, Garbage & Waste, Hazardous Waste, Medicine Disposal for sharps questions, and Nuisance Properties for unsanitary housing. The department does not investigate indoor sewage spills, offering its Guidelines for Cleaning Indoor Sewage Spills instead.
If you also manage property elsewhere in the county, ask companies about access: a 14-mile stretch of the Mountain Loop Highway is gravel and closed each winter, and Whidbey Island links to the region through the WSF ferry between Mukilteo and Clinton. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office3 publishes a Biohazard Cleanup Services list, which it says is for convenience only, is not comprehensive, and is not an endorsement.
Who to call first
In an emergency, call 911.These official offices may be part of the first steps. They are government pages, not ours.
- Snohomish County Medical Examiner (opens in a new tab)After a sudden or unexpected death, cleanup waits until this office is done.
- Snohomish County Health Department (opens in a new tab)For local health questions, such as a home that was used as a drug lab.
- Washington Crime Victims Compensation Program (L&I) (opens in a new tab)If a crime happened, it may help with some costs, such as funeral expenses. It doesn't pay for cleanup.
- Verify a contractor (L&I lookup) (opens in a new tab)Look up whether a company is a registered contractor before work starts.
- Washington State Department of Health (opens in a new tab)State health rules, such as for drug lab cleanup and hantavirus.