{"id":25512,"date":"2024-04-23T13:52:46","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T12:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/?post_type=insight&#038;p=25512"},"modified":"2025-08-07T10:49:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T09:49:03","slug":"contamination-a-dirty-problem","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/insight\/contamination-a-dirty-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Contamination: A Dirty Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"25512\" class=\"elementor elementor-25512\" data-elementor-post-type=\"insight\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d865d26 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-eae-slider=\"53453\" data-id=\"d865d26\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-57003cb\" data-eae-slider=\"32580\" data-id=\"57003cb\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a7e512f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a7e512f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Contamination, the presence of a foreign material, can occur following an insurable event, such as a fire, escape of water or storm damage.\u00a0 Contamination of a building or area often represents a large proportion of the overall financial loss of the incident.\u00a0 As such, it is key to identify the extent and nature of the contamination, so that the appropriate actions can be taken to reinstate and minimise costs arising from both the restoration work and from business interruption.\u00a0 A rapid and independent assessment of the problem can, therefore, result in a significant saving to the insurer.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a00e282 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a00e282\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><span style=\"color: #0a527a;\">Combustion Products\u00a0<\/span><\/h4><p>One of the most common instances of contamination that Hawkins deals with is soot contamination following a fire. The chemical composition of soot and fire debris depends on the type of fire and the conditions during the fire. For example, smouldering fires generate large quantities of tarry products, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, that coat surfaces in a \u2018sticky\u2019 brown substance. Fuel rich fires, i.e. when air (oxygen) is the limiting factor in combustion, for example, a fire in a sealed room, tend to produce more soot and incomplete combustion products.<\/p><p>Some of the combustion products can be corrosive owing to the combustion of chloride-containing compounds. The classic example is the combustion of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is present in most fire scenes because many domestic and industrial wiring insulation comprises PVC. During combustion, PVC evolves hydrochloric acid up to around 50% of the weight of the material burnt. This means that the soot particles and other products are acidic. The acid reacts with materials, such as metals, and can result in rapid post-fire corrosion and degradation of metallic and other surfaces. It is also electrically conductive. This has implications for electronics, which can be seriously damaged by only small quantities of this type of soot.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0131ac1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"0131ac1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"607\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/picture-7.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-25863\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/picture-7.jpg 830w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/picture-7-300x228.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/picture-7-768x583.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Soot contamination of a circuit board.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c9dec2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c9dec2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Hawkins uses a method for detection of surface chloride concentrations that is fast and accurate, and gives on-site results, which allows for immediate identification of at-risk equipment and, potentially could reduce the size of the loss by early intervention.\u00a0 It is also useful for discriminating between different sources of dust such as whether the dust is a result of the fire, or whether is it \u2018normal\u2019 dust.\u00a0 Being able to determine the difference is particularly useful in industrial settings.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ad57124 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ad57124\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Untitled-2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-25558\" alt=\"Surface corrosion due to combustion products\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Untitled-2.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Untitled-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Untitled-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Untitled-2-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Surface corrosion due to combustion products<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c20a787 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c20a787\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><span style=\"color: #0a527a;\">Odour<\/span><span style=\"color: #0a527a;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4><p>The typical smoky odour arising from fires is caused by a complex range of volatile and semi-volatile compounds. Those compounds present an issue because they can absorb into porous materials and, because they are no longer on the surface of the material, they are then difficult to clean. Examples of those porous materials include:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-afdb9a3 elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\" data-id=\"afdb9a3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"icon-list.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-icon-list-items\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"8.305\" height=\"15.142\" viewBox=\"0 0 8.305 15.142\"><path id=\"Path_185\" data-name=\"Path 185\" d=\"M0,0,5.536,7.572,0,15.143H2.768L8.3,7.572,2.768,0Z\" transform=\"translate(0 0)\" fill=\"#007aa3\" opacity=\"0.998\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">fabrics, such as clothing; <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"8.305\" height=\"15.142\" viewBox=\"0 0 8.305 15.142\"><path id=\"Path_185\" data-name=\"Path 185\" d=\"M0,0,5.536,7.572,0,15.143H2.768L8.3,7.572,2.768,0Z\" transform=\"translate(0 0)\" fill=\"#007aa3\" opacity=\"0.998\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">foams, such as in office chairs; <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"8.305\" height=\"15.142\" viewBox=\"0 0 8.305 15.142\"><path id=\"Path_185\" data-name=\"Path 185\" d=\"M0,0,5.536,7.572,0,15.143H2.768L8.3,7.572,2.768,0Z\" transform=\"translate(0 0)\" fill=\"#007aa3\" opacity=\"0.998\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">packaging materials, such as cardboard boxes.  <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8fb5b02 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8fb5b02\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In all cases, zero odour or taint, i.e. the pre-incident condition, is the end goal of any decontamination work. Hawkins will assess the condition of stock\/packaging and establish if it is usable\/sellable and identify ways by which all fire-related odours can be removed, in order to reinstate buildings and contents to a pre-fire condition. How we do that or what might be salvageable (from ventilation, fogging and\/or cleaning versus removal\/disposal) might differ depending on the type of property and stock. On occasion, I have dealt with cases in industrial settings where some residual odour was tolerated in order that production could be re-established sooner.<\/p><p>As odour compounds tend to be volatile or semi-volatile, the strength of the odour will decrease over time as the compounds evaporate, or react with the environment. An example of this would be freshly ground coffee vs coffee that has been opened for some time.<\/p><p>Odours are difficult to identify by normal analytical techniques.\u00a0 The human nose is extremely sensitive to odours and to some chemicals and is far more sensitive than analytical instrumentation.\u00a0 Ethanethiol, which is the additive in gas to give it the distinctive odour that we all recognise as gas, is a classic example of this.\u00a0 It is detectable to a person at better than one part in 2 billion, which is very difficult to test for using normal analytical techniques.\u00a0 However, when analysis for a specific chemical is required, for example, in the circumstances of a chemical spillage, there are some ways to increase the sensitivity of analysis, such as absorption onto an air sampling column to concentrate the chemical.\u00a0 Hawkins is experienced in air sampling of this type and in interpretation of the specialised analytical data resulting from the analysis.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0a3e152 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"0a3e152\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"445\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/graph.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-25559\" alt=\"Data resulting from air sampling for interpretation. This sample contained diesel.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/graph.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/graph-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/graph-768x428.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Data resulting from air sampling for interpretation.  This sample contained diesel.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1e54e95 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1e54e95\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><span style=\"color: #0a527a;\">Water <\/span><span style=\"color: #0a527a;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4><p>Contamination also commonly occurs following an escape of water, both due to the water itself and due to problems resulting from the long-term presence of water. It is my experience that escapes of water are often as damaging to a property as fire. Potentially both are combined; a small fire in a house that might not result in significant damage could be extinguished using water which then results in other problems in the property.<br \/><br \/>The damage to the property and the resulting contamination issues will depend upon the source of the water. For example, water escaping from a drinking water pipe presents a different set of problems to that of a leak from a soil pipe.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2cfab8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"a2cfab8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"604\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/123.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-25560\" alt=\"Corrosion of distribution board components due to water ingress.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/123.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/123-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/123-768x580.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Corrosion of distribution board components due to water ingress.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-45d069d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"45d069d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Water ingress to electrical equipment can lead to tracking faults or short circuits, resulting in damage to the equipment.\u00a0 These problems may take time to develop.\u00a0 Although pure water is not significantly electrically conductive, water almost always incorporates dissolved salts, which become concentrated as water evaporates.\u00a0 This can result in a fault that develops days or weeks after the initial event that led to the water ingress.<\/p><p>Silt, for example, from flood water can lead to abrasion of surfaces, such as, within bearings.\u00a0<\/p><p>If the source of water potentially contains sewage, i.e. floods from sewers overwhelmed by rainwater, or a leak from a soil pipe, then sewage contamination can be identified (and distinguished from other sources of water), by sampling for the presence of specific bacteria.\u00a0 This can allow the appropriate remediation technique to be used.\u00a0 This can range from simple drying vs washing with anti-bacterial compounds.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7f91645 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7f91645\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><span style=\"color: #0a527a;\">Mould\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #0a527a;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4><p>Water ingress often results in the growth of moulds. Moulds are one of the structures that true fungi can form. The fungi reproduce by forming microscopic spores that are carried away by air currents. As such mould spores are everywhere. The monitor on which you are reading this article will be covered in spores waiting for the right conditions to start growing. If the surface remains damp (or of sufficient humidity), and there is a source of food, which to a fungi is almost any organic material, then mould will be produced.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c5874dd elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c5874dd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"604\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/mould.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-25561\" alt=\"Mould growth on a wall due to a leak in the roof.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/mould.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/mould-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/mould-768x580.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Mould growth on a wall due to a leak in the roof.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-076238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"076238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Not all moulds are detrimental to health &#8211; some moulds are used in food production.\u00a0 However, whilst some might turn milk into a flavoursome cheese, that is not the case for all moulds and some can present a significant hazard to health.<\/p><p>The ubiquitous presence of mould spores means that there is a background presence of moulds that naturally occur within a property.\u00a0 Testing must, therefore, be able to distinguish between the background of mould and its presence due to an insurable event like an escape of water.\u00a0 This can be achieved by collecting background samples, which may be found just outside the property or in a non-affected area and comparing levels with an area that is known to be affected.\u00a0 This is also of use in dispute resolution, which can occur when there is a concern that a clean-up operation has not been conducted correctly. \u00a0The presence and source of any mould growth can be identified, and further cleaning conducted, if necessary.\u00a0 Once identified, we consider the results, alongside detailed inspections of properties for signs of moisture, damp, humidity (i.e. the things that could\/would cause mould) and establish whether these are incident-related or the result of longer-term building or ventilation issues.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8eb07e3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8eb07e3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4><span style=\"color: #0a527a;\">Asbestos\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #0a527a;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-63a4296 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"63a4296\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"604\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/asbestos.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-25562\" alt=\"Asbestos cement roof boards.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/asbestos.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/asbestos-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/asbestos-768x580.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Asbestos cement roof boards.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cffe42c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cffe42c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Asbestos contamination is another issue that Hawkins frequently deals with.\u00a0 Asbestos is usually present in one of three forms; chrysotile, amosite and crocidolite (white, brown and blue asbestos), of which chrysotile is by far the most common.\u00a0 Chrysotile is the component present in, for example, artex ceilings or the corrugated cement boards used on roofs.\u00a0 The material was used because in addition to being low cost, it has several useful properties, such as heat resistance, mechanical strength and chemically inertness.\u00a0 Examples of cases involving asbestos contamination include roof damage caused by contractor activities, impact or storm damage.\u00a0 Assessing the presence and extent of any contamination inside the building and on stored stock or machinery, can be determined using sampling and microscopic analysis.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-91041ba elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"91041ba\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 data-redactor-inserted-image=\"true\"><span style=\"color: #0a527a;\">Summary\u00a0<\/span><\/h4><p>Contamination can affect buildings, equipment or stock. Once a contamination event has occurred, the three remedial options are repair of the damage, replacement if the item is damaged beyond economical repair, or cleaning (again if it is economical to do so). Business interruption should be factored into the calculation too, as whilst it may it be possible to clean one hundred office chairs, it could take six months, in which case it might be cheaper to replace them.<br \/><br \/>The key in all contamination cases is to quickly identify what needs to be done to fix the problem, and then take the appropriate actions to properly reinstate and minimise costs. When notified of an incident, Hawkins will normally attend the scene within one day and can identify what works need to be undertaken immediately to mitigate further loss, and can plan the longer term works to full reinstatement, as well as being fully independent from the contractors who are conducting the works.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d6422fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d6422fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-5b051e9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5b051e9\" data-element_type=\"section\"><div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\"><div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-68e6efb\" data-id=\"68e6efb\" data-element_type=\"column\"><div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\"><div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-925c64b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"925c64b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\"><div class=\"elementor-widget-container\"><h4><span style=\"color: #0a527a;\">About the Author<\/span><\/h4><p>After graduating from University, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/experts\/ed-hammersley\/\">Ed<\/a> worked as an analytical research scientist at Pfizer. He specialised in analytical method development and trace analysis, with a particular focus on gas and liquid chromatography, both coupled with mass spectrometry detection. Some of this work was published in scientific literature and presented at conferences.<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/experts\/ed-hammersley\/\">Ed<\/a> has conducted more than 850 forensic investigations including fires, explosions, electrical incidents, contamination assessment, chemical reactions and escapes of water in domestic, industrial and marine environments. He regularly travels overseas to conduct investigations. Several of his high-profile cases have involved material losses of more than \u00a310m, with some exceeding \u00a3100m. The marine vessel incidents have involved both engine room and cargo fires, including the TAC Imola, fires onboard large yachts and superyachts, and the MSC Flaminia, for which he gave evidence at Deposition and in the Southern District Court of New York.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e653e27 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-eae-slider=\"95194\" data-id=\"e653e27\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-cf762b0\" data-eae-slider=\"81936\" data-id=\"cf762b0\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a932c4e elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"a932c4e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The article discusses contamination arising from fire, water damage, and storms, emphasising its diverse forms like soot, odors, water-related issues, mold, and asbestos. It stresses the urgency of identifying and addressing contamination promptly to reinstate properties while minimizing costs, showcasing Hawkins&#8217; expertise in forensic investigations and specialised techniques for mitigation and restoration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":25797,"parent":0,"template":"","insight_category":[],"experties":[68],"class_list":["post-25512","insight","type-insight","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","experties-materials-chemistry-biology"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Contamination: Forensic Assessment &amp; Mitigation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how forensic experts assess contamination from fire, water, and chemicals to minimize restoration costs and business disruption.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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