Fire Residue Survey & Testing Services

Fire damage testing is vital to ensure your air quality is not affected. Sysco Environmental can perform sampling and analysis of some of the most potent carcinogenic and toxic chemicals encountered in the indoor environment.

Hazardous compound & fire residue testing

There are a multitude of hazardous compounds that can be present inside buildings. Some of them have been used during initial construction, some have been introduced later by the building occupants, and some enter from the outside environment. These include:

• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
• Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs)
• Polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs)
• Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

All of these chemical compounds are considered to be potential human carcinogens.

The main sources of PCBs in buildings are joining materials, defective electrical components, flame retardant containing paints and varnishes, plasticizers, and some oils used in concrete production.

The main sources of PCDDs/PCDFs in indoor air are impurities in wood preservatives containing pentachlorophenol (PCP) and emissions from fires involving chlorinated products.

In the case of fire, chlorine-containing organic materials, e.g. electric cable sheathing, floor coverings, and PVC door and window frames give rise to PCDDs/PCDFs bound to soot and other particles, which deposit on surfaces and, if not cleaned, are a continual source of pollution in the indoor air.

The major origin of PAHs indoors is from combustion processes (mostly smoke from open fires). The best-known example is cigarette smoking. However, chimneys that do not draw properly or candles burning with a sooty flame can give rise to measurable amounts of PAHs. They can also be released by pitch-containing materials used in interior construction work.

How can Sysco Environmental help with fire residue surveying and testing?

• Building surveys from PCB containing materials
• Air or bulk sample tests for the presence of PCBs
• Indoor air quality measurements following fire damage (PCB, PHA, PCDD's and PCDFs)
• Post remediation verification from surface samples
• Provision of re-occupation certification

What other services do Sysco Environmental offer?

Sysco Environmental also offer a wide range of laboratory services including fire residue analysis to identify some of the harmful chemical compounds that may have been released. This service is especially suitable after fire residue remediation has taken place to ensure it has been successful. To find out more, please click the following link - Lab: Fire Residue Testing.

Contact Tomas

0800 433 7914

Contact Barry

0800 433 7914

Next steps

Contact us today to discuss your situation and how we can help with hazardous compounds.

Our service is UK-wide, so please don't hesitate to get in touch.