LA Testing and EMSL Analytical offer solutions for fire and smoke damage investigations.

An
evacuation order for the town of Aspendale, California was recently
ordered after a lightening sparked wildfire threatened the vacation
home community and campground areas adjacent to Inyo National Forest.
This most recent fire is also burning within 10 miles of the nearby
town of Bishop, California.

This year’s wildfire season has kept
firefighters busy across the state. As wildfires are extinguished,
homeowners and business owners return to their properties to inspect
for damage. Some people are happy to find untouched properties while
others return to completely destroyed houses and businesses.

A
significant number of property owners will discover properties without
visible fire damage, but smoke damage can have far reaching
consequences. Those facing smoke damage in their properties may find
themselves needing to test the structures for proof of damage.

Carbon
black and combustion byproducts (carbonized material) deposited on
surfaces can lead to odors, permanent discoloration and “ghosting”
effects. Sampling for carbon black on surfaces can be performed by
simply wiping as much area as necessary to darken a special sample
collection pad for analysis.

LA Testing, an affiliate of EMSL
Analytical, is one of the California’s leading environmental testing
laboratories. The laboratory performs carbon black and combustion
byproducts testing using a combination of techniques in culmination
with Electron Microscopy.

“Unfortunately Polarized Light or
Phase Contrast Microscopes are used by many laboratories for this
procedure, but they do not adequately provide identification in many
cases,” reported Joe Frasca, Executive Vice President at LA Testing and
EMSL Analytical. “LA Testing provides expert analysis using the most
advanced instrumentation for these cases and can also test for a
variety of ‘unknown’ contaminates found in properties,” Frasca
continued.

For more information about Smoke, Carbon Black and Soot testing visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com or call (800)303-0047 and ask for Jerry Drapala PhD.

About LA Testing and EMSL Analytical, Inc.
LA
Testing and EMSL Analytical are providers of environmental testing
services and products to professionals and the general public. The
company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading
organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies.