Introduction

Pollution of indoor and outdoor environments by complex mixtures of physical and chemical combustion products is a causative agent of human health and environmental problems on a global scale. Uncontrolled and incomplete combustion processes are responsible for the emission of chemical and physical pollutants in quantities that affect humans and the environment.

General awareness of the fact that fires can present dramatic and persistent adverse effects on the environment has been accentuated by a number of high-impact incidents over the past half century as exemplified in ISO 26367‑1. The serious consequences of such events have confirmed that the environmental impact of fires is an important issue that needs to be dealt with internationally and systematically. The ISO 26367 series provides a framework for a common treatment of the environmental impact of fires in answer to this pressing need.

This document provides references to methods for sampling and analysis of fire effluents from environmentally significant fires. It is important to understand the chemical and physical nature of the components of the fire effluents, including their concentration within the fire plume and within different recipients. It is also necessary to determine the natural levels of the same pollutants in the affected area(s) in order to establish a baseline for measurement of the environmental impact of the fire.

With fires that primarily have the potential to harm the environment it is likely that there will be fewer logistical restraints for obtaining samples from the fire effluent than those from life-threatening fires. For example, these fires can be relatively large and less confined, compared to their mainly life-threatening counterparts. The fire plume can extend for many kilometres and can deposit particles and associated chemical species over a wide area. The fire residues can contaminate the soil and as run-off, contaminate surface and groundwater courses. Sampling, although unlikely to be straightforward, is therefore feasible with standard techniques and trained personnel.

In many cases, the sampling and analysis of compounds having the potential to harm the environment have been well-documented. This document therefore provides a guide to the “best practice” methodologies for sampling and analysing specific compounds that could be present in fire effluents. The compounds and the concentration levels of interest are dependent on the goals of the user and could be outside of the limits of the recommended sampling and analysis methods referenced in this document.

A methodology for compiling the information needed to assess the environmental damage caused by a fire incident and the establishment of data quality objectives and the design of sampling programmes is included in ISO 26367‑2. It also provides a standardized method for reporting the results of the compilation and findings of the analyses for use in contingency planning or for the assessment of the potential adverse environmental impact of a specific fire incident.

BS ISO 26367-3:2022

Guidelines for assessing the adverse environmental impact of fire effluents - Sampling and analysis

Current

Published:

30 Nov 2022