skunks on night shift?

[mednurse]

Does anyone else smell skunks on the night shift during the summer in their hospitals? What do you do to diminish the odor? It seems that skunks spray right near our vent system and it ends up in various places in the hospital!

[mattsmom81]

I have caught them around the dumpsters mostly...so think they're sniffing out food and someone surprises 'em.

I've heard ammonia keeps cats away from windows, bushes, etc... so wonder if that might work with skunks too???

Agree the skunky odor is better than cdiff ...eeeugh!

[disher]

Who else but nurses can discuss the smell of burning body parts and skunk? Having smelled both, I think skunk has a strong tangy smell and creamating body parts, have a smell similar to burning leather. Both smell equally unpleasant, but if I had my choice I'd rather smell skunk.

I was surprised that your hospital still incinerates body parts onsite. Some cities have bylaws that require a creamatorium be located outside of a populated area. I think that there is public health concern that particles from the burning flesh can become airborn and transmit infection when diseased limbs and body fluids are burned.

Anyways, I hope it is skunk (not incinerating body parts) you are smelling on the night shift.

[disher]

Who else but nurses can discuss the smell of burning body parts and skunk? Having smelled both, I think skunk has a strong tangy smell and creamating body parts, have a smell similar to burning leather. Both smell equally unpleasant, but if I had my choice I'd rather smell skunk.

I was surprised that your hospital still incinerates body parts onsite. Some cities have bylaws that require a creamatorium be located outside of a populated area. I think that there is public health concern that particles from the burning flesh can become airborn and transmit infection when diseased limbs and body fluids are burned.

Anyways, I hope it is skunk (not incinerating body parts) you are smelling on the night shift.

[nurs4kids]

Originally posted by RN always

This is a funny thread! I live in Alaska and we don't have skunks. I had never even smelled one before until I went to NY when I was a teenager.

BTW, we also have no snakes, cockroches or poisonous spiders (except a few brown recluce only in the woods)

well, heck..it's too damn there cold to sustain life, no wonder

[nurs4kids]

Originally posted by RN always

This is a funny thread! I live in Alaska and we don't have skunks. I had never even smelled one before until I went to NY when I was a teenager.

BTW, we also have no snakes, cockroches or poisonous spiders (except a few brown recluce only in the woods)

well, heck..it's too damn there cold to sustain life, no wonder

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

Originally posted by disher

I was surprised that your hospital still incinerates body parts onsite. Some cities have bylaws that require a creamatorium be located outside of a populated area. I think that there is public health concern that particles from the burning flesh can become airborn and transmit infection when diseased limbs and body fluids are burned.

Anyways, I hope it is skunk (not incinerating body parts) you are smelling on the night shift.

Yup, we're smack in the middle of the "inner city" area. We had another crematory about 4 miles away (also in a populated area), but it was closed down about 7 years ago. Not because of ordinances, but because the owner is now in prison. Apparently, he was burying cars in the attached cemetery and reporting them stolen. He was also burying bodies in already occupied graves, selling "used" plots, etc. This I know to be absolutely true, because the building was re-zoned to become an apartment bldg, and I lived there for about 5 years (don't ask).

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

Originally posted by disher

I was surprised that your hospital still incinerates body parts onsite. Some cities have bylaws that require a creamatorium be located outside of a populated area. I think that there is public health concern that particles from the burning flesh can become airborn and transmit infection when diseased limbs and body fluids are burned.

Anyways, I hope it is skunk (not incinerating body parts) you are smelling on the night shift.

Yup, we're smack in the middle of the "inner city" area. We had another crematory about 4 miles away (also in a populated area), but it was closed down about 7 years ago. Not because of ordinances, but because the owner is now in prison. Apparently, he was burying cars in the attached cemetery and reporting them stolen. He was also burying bodies in already occupied graves, selling "used" plots, etc. This I know to be absolutely true, because the building was re-zoned to become an apartment bldg, and I lived there for about 5 years (don't ask).

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

OK, so I tried to find Louisville ordinances related to cremation/crematories, and I found none at all. http://livepublish.municode.com/11/lpext.dll?f=templates&fn=main-hit-j.htm&2.0 Weird, huh? I guess I'll try Ky ordinances. Although I did find listings in the Yellow Pages for 3 of them that existed in populated areas (but 1 is an animal crematory).

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

OK, so I tried to find Louisville ordinances related to cremation/crematories, and I found none at all. http://livepublish.municode.com/11/lpext.dll?f=templates&fn=main-hit-j.htm&2.0 Weird, huh? I guess I'll try Ky ordinances. Although I did find listings in the Yellow Pages for 3 of them that existed in populated areas (but 1 is an animal crematory).

[graysonret]

Haven't had any animal skunk incidents yet, but I've worked with a few human skunks at night. L

[nowplayingEDRN]

Originally posted by kewlnurse

Call me weird, everyone else does, but i like that skunk smell

When I was a kid I used to thinks that skunk smell was similar to the smell of lemons. Then I got older and had kids and accidentally got a skunk with the car and had to deal with the scent of severely burnt rubber following me in the car for weeks....now I do not like the smell of skunk. Kewl...I would say it must be a NY thang, dude!