Most people don’t know about soot and smoke damage and its effect to homes and health. Not only are they unsightly, but they are also lingering hazards and can further damage your belongings in your home or place of business.
Soot is commonly found on vehicle tailpipes, diesel engines, oil refineries, coal plant smokestacks and fires. In homes, it can be found on grills, fireplaces and stoves for cooking and heating. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 70 million Americans are currently living in areas under risk of exposure to soot hazards. Most people tend to neglect the dangers of soot after a fire incident, but it should not be taken for granted. This article will be covering only soot damages after fire incidents.
What is Soot?
- Soot is a form of black powdery substance made up mostly of amorphous carbon and other elements. It is usually found on organic materials like wood that failed to burn completely, and stays in the air and settles on surfaces and other exposed areas.
- If not removed for a long time, it could permeate building materials.
Why is Soot Dangerous?
- Whenever a fire incident strikes a certain home, both smoke and soot also pose dangers, aside from the fire itself.
- It is a priority to clean up, remove and decontaminate the affected parts of the house immediately to avoid exposure to soot and smoke.
Why is Soot Exposure Dangerous?
Respiratory Health-Related Problems
- Soot contains toxic particles like carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and other traces of heavy metals.
- When inhaled, soot can cause different sorts of respiratory health problems like bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma.
Cancer Risks
- Based on the studies of the National Cancer Institute, soot contains carcinogens or cancer-causing agents like chromium, arsenic, and cadmium, which are likely to put you at risk when inhaled.
- Prolonged exposure to these elements can cause respiratory ailments and other health-related problems.
Property Damage
- Soot also deteriorates your house painting works. All the painted surfaces of your house will be discolored by the acidic particles of soot.
- If left for a long time and not cleaned immediately, the soot will deeply infiltrate and cleaning with restoration would be difficult to deal with.
- Call a professional fire damage restoration company, such as ServiceMaster by Disaster Relief, to deal with this situation the expert way.
Electronics Damage
- Soot and smoke are also capable of ruining electronic devices and machines after every fire incident.
- The soot’s acidic particles and smoke’s metallic particles can corrode and short-circuit electronic devices that can possibly malfunction or even explode when used.
- For this reason, after any fire incident, all electronic devices should be cleaned, checked and tested even if they are not damaged or burned.
Smoke Odor Residuals
- After every fire, the lingering smell of smoke is irritatingly pungent and needs to be cleaned and removed. The smell that sticks to the whole house should be given the immediate attention of a professional fire damage cleanup company.
Contact Us for Smoke, Soot & Odor Removal in Oldsmar, Florida
ServiceMaster by Disaster Relief is of service to completely cover property damages through professional cleanup and restoration. We are on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (813) 295-7797. You may also connect with us online to schedule an appointment. We serve residential and commercial properties in Clearwater, Florida and the surrounding areas.
- Licensed general contractor
- Highly skilled technicians
- IICRC-certified firm
The sooner our professional team comes in, holds an appraisal and gets started on the restoration, the sooner your life could return to normal.
