Overview
On June 3rd of 2021, A-Tech received a request by a client to conduct Combustion By-Products Smoke & Soot testing where that had been a wildfire reported near the exterior of a home in Adelanto, California. In light of this request, there was a potential for the smoke from the fire to have entered the interior of the above-mentioned property.
Strategy
1. Smoke and Soot assessments require an Industrial Hygiene Technician to perform the combustion by-product sampling at the subject site.
2. Visual inspection of affected areas indicated that the interior housekeeping appeared good with no visible signs of smoke, charring, or notable odor of smoke at the time of inspection.
3. Nineteen (19) surfaces were chosen at random to be sampled for combustion by-products (soot, char, and ash). Surface samples were collected via tape-lift by pressing a Bio-Tape slide to the subject area surface, attaching to a microscopy slide, and sealing in transportation case for transport and analysis. The tape-life samples were submitted using strict of chain-of-custody procedures to SGS Forensic Laboratories of Hayward of California for analysis. The samples were analyzed for char, ash, and soot by Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM).
Conclusion
All surfaces that were sampled for combustion by-products resulted in concentrations of 1% or lower combustion by-products. These levels indicate that there are negligible levels of combustion by-products on the sampled surfaces. Based on these findings, A-Tech Consulting, Inc.’s professional opinion is that the levels of soot found are not in high enough quantities to warrant recommending remediation measures.
