As wild fires rage across San Diego, California, let’s take a few minutes to consider the repercussions of fire damage. When a property and its contents are damaged by fire, the types of chemicals generated and released are wide-ranging and can leave their mark just as easily as the flames that created them. Homes are filled with a variety of organic and synthetic compounds that likely generate toxic chemicals. Many factors contribute to this dangerous environment, requiring professional measures for fire damage cleanup. Many hazardous substances have been found in levels that are unsafe, but most of the time we don’t have the tools necessary to properly monitor all aspects of air quality. So what can we do? As a restoration professional, our goal is to eliminate chemicals, odors, and pollution while returning the property to pre-loss conditions. We know that fire soot is corrosive and can continue to damage the property days after the event, so we wear gloves to protect our hands from exposure. We see the particles lingering in the air, so we wear particulate masks and run air scrubbers to keep them out of our lungs. We smell odors and chemicals, so we release more chemicals via fogging and generators? Think again. Chemicals can be released to try to counteract what we smell (or don’t smell for that matter), but much like combustion, those pathways usually don’t go cleanly and leave byproducts, which are often equally dangerous to people, pets, and plants. There are many products that we have at our disposal to mitigate the impact of odors and chemical pollution in our environments. The best way to address these harmful chemicals caused by fire damage, is through the elimination of chemicals and not the release of more. OdorKlenz-Air® is an environmentally friendly process that neutralizes toxic odors and chemicals without the use of masking agents or the generation of additional chemicals to the environment. OdorKlenz-Air fits in most commercial air scrubbers to quickly and effectively eliminate toxic chemicals and odors left behind from wild fires and other sources of fire damage. Workers can work while it’s working, creating a safer environment and getting homeowners back to their lives sooner.