You have had a fire/smoke event at your home or business. The fire department has left, and it is time for you to go back in and assess the damage. When you go back inside you may see black, heavy soot covering everything, with part of your home destroyed by fire; or you may be pleasantly surprised to see very little soot and just have a very strong smell throughout your building. In either scenario, it is what you cannot see that is most dangerous.
The soot and smoke left behind may contain many dangerous substances that can affect your health quickly or a little at a time over many years. Toxic volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) go through an off-gassing process after the fire is extinguished that can last for years if left alone. Dioxins are also very dangerous, they “are formed when products containing carbon and chlorine are burned, such as plastics containing PVC. Even in picograms (parts per trillion), dioxins are associated with severe health damage that can shorten the lives of people exposed to it, and potentially that of their offspring and future generations. The genetic effects may skip a generation and reappear in subsequent generations…according to researcher Joe Thornton,…’There is no safe level of dioxin exposure.'” (Sean Scott, Toxic Exposure; Restoration and Remediation Magazine)
Gases and particulates in the air can be poisonous and exposure to particles leads to nearly 20,000 premature deaths in America every year. Soot particles are ultrafine, less than half of the size of a red blood cell, so they can pass directly into the bloodstream when inhaled.
These dangers as well as countless other gases, chemicals and dusts are caused by the wide variety of products found in your home or business. Plastics, chemicals, electronics, fabrics, fiberglass, wood, adhesives, alloys, food, medicines and all the other things you come into contact with every day pose different health risks when burned, melted or heated.
For these reasons, it is very important to have your home or business professionally cleaned and restored by a qualified fire remediation company. While our crews use specials techniques and chemicals to clean up your property, our equipment is running around the clock, cleaning the air in your home to make sure that it is safe for you and your family, or co-workers to return when we are done.
If you ever need our services after a smoke or fire event; from emergency board-up immediately after, through the cleaning and restoration process.