Hazards of Forensic Pathology

A forensic pathologist is a professional that answers questions about how a person died. They preform autopsies and are very often called to crime scenes to examine bodies. Being a forensic pathologist can be a dangerous profession due to dealing with hazardous crime scenes and bodily fluids. 

Disease Exposure

Exposure to disease is a big threat for forensic pathologist. Autopsies expose them to bodily fluids and body tissue that could carry infectious diseases. For example HIV can survive long enough in a dead body to infect a pathologist if fluids splash into their eyes or anywhere they may have a cut. Precautions can be taken by testing the body for HIV, washing up thoroughly and taking preventive medicines.

Dangerous Conditions

Forensic pathologists are often called to the scene of a crime and this to can expose them to dangerous conditions. Conditions such as unstable buildings, traffic, unruly mobs, chemical agents or even radiation are a few of the things that they can be exposed to on a regular basis in this line of work.

Psychological Stress

Just the day-to-day job of a forensic psychologist carries a lot of psychological stress. They not only have to deal with the life ending injuries of their victims but often have to deal with the victims grieving families as well. These families are often at the scene of the crime when the forensic pathologist gets there. Finally, mass crime scenes such as the 9/11 incident and major accidents can weigh heavily on a forensic pathologist just because of the sheer number of dead bodies.