Smoke

Soot and other smoke particles can deposit on surfaces as smoke moves through a building or other environment, making deposition potentially useful evidence in a smoke investigation. The amount and distribution of deposited soot can be affected by particle concentration, airflow, temperature gradients, gravitational settling, turbulent diffusion, thermophoretic effects, and the duration and conditions of exposure. An expert can evaluate those factors together with fire dynamics and other scene evidence when assessing a proposed smoke pathway. Soot deposition patterns alone should not automatically be treated as proof of a particular smoke route or source.

A smoke expert may address technical questions about smoke generation, transport, ventilation pathways, and whether smoke or combustion products could have reached a particular location. Concentrations or exposure conditions may also be estimated when supported by measurements, validated modeling, or other adequate data. Determining an individual's inhaled dose, toxicological effects, diagnosis, injury, or medical causation involves additional questions that may require appropriately qualified toxicology or medical experts.