Combustion Particulates Assessment

HygieneTech has performed site assessments for combustion byproducts from brushfire and/or structural fire incidents to determine property damage and/or potential exposure issues in various commercial and residential settings. The primary objective of such surveys is to assess the presence or absence of combustion byproducts from non-solvent fuel sources – primarily char particles – on affected exterior and/or interior building surfaces

During such surveys, visual inspections are made of affected building material surfaces and personal articles. Composite “micro-vacuum” surface samples are collected for char analysis using 25-millimeter diameter, 0.8-micrometer pore size, mixed cellulose ester filters that are attached to a high volume air-sampling pump. Surface samples are also collected for char analysis assessment using cellophane tape segments affixed to microscope slides. Analyses are performed using polarized light microscopy (PLM) and epi-Reflected Light Microscopy (RLM). Optional exposure related assessment can be performed by analyzing samples collected for black carbon particulates using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in conjunction with energy dispersive x-ray (EDX).

Appropriate cleaning recommendations are made based on the observations made at the time of the survey and the analytical data. Note that the objective of such procedures is to remove char and other combustion particulate so that superficial accumulations are consistent with background levels that would be expected both inside and outside of typical structures that have not been affected by settled fire-related particulate.