Soil Analysis
If your property has been damaged by a wildfire or structural fire, home restoration is only one part of the recovery process. Wildfires and structural fires can release a range of hazardous substances, including industrial compounds, solvents, gases, hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and asbestos. These toxic elements can settle permanently into soil and landscaped areas, or leach into the surrounding environment. Because of these risks, soil analysis is a critical step in the restoration process. In addition to identifying contamination levels in the soil, the analysis can determine whether soil remediation is necessary as part of sustainable property redevelopment.
MACS Solution
MACS specializes in post-fire environmental testing – with a focus on soil analysis – to identify harmful contaminants resulting from fires. Our comprehensive post-fire soil analysis is designed to detect the most common and hazardous contaminants found after wildfires or urban structural fires. When combined, these analytical tools are indispensable in understanding post fire exposure, and in determining a cost-effective course of action for restoration and renovation.
Our sampling protocol includes the following compounds and contaminants:
Diesel Range Organics (DRO): Includes compounds such as vinyl chlorides, plastics, benzene, and a range of nonhalogenated volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): A wide spectrum of approximately 100 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)-listed compounds.
California Heavy Metals Panel: Includes California's 17 regulated heavy metals plus lithium, providing compliance with state-specific environmental guidelines.
Asbestos: Detection of asbestos fibers, which may persist in soil long after a fire.
Collecting soil samples is a simple process and most properties only need a few samples to accurately identify potentially hazardous compounds. The technician takes soil from the top 1-3” in several locations and sends them to a testing laboratory. The lab then composites these samples to have them analyzed. Our standard turnaround time of three days allows us to quickly identify hazardous compounds in the soil. And with each project we submit a professional report complete with pertinent recommendations for cleanup and remediation.
MACS Advantage
By identifying post-fire contaminants with precision, MACS empowers property owners, environmental consultants, and restoration professionals to ensure regulatory compliance, reduce health and liability risks, target remediation efforts and minimize long-term environmental impact. We have a qualified team of technicians who are trained to address the regulatory compliance issues that come with hazardous material identification, control and management.