Post-Wildfire Assessments

The Synergist​ weekly feature, "The ABCs of Wildfire Residue Contamination Testing" by Alice Delia and Daniel Baxter, discusses post-wildfire assessments of the indoor environment. The key concerns are particulate residues, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVCOs), and metals. The article discusses technologies and methods that can be used to test for contaminants as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the various methods. Although there is no single analytical test that can be used to determine whether a building is "safe", selecting the right types and combination of tests can provide the necessary insight to make an informed evaluation.