- Author
- Rudin, E.
- Title
- Arson Sniffers.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Journal
- Dimensions (U. S. National Bureau of Standards), Vol. 64, No. 10, 16-17, December 1980
- Keywords
- arson | fire investigators
- Abstract
- The investigators might bring with them a portable vapor detector, or "sniffer," a key tool in determining the fire's cause. After the fire has been extinguished, this device is used to sample the air for flammable hydrocarbon vapors which evolve from residual petroleum distillates. These include gasoline, kerosene, and paint thinner, the most common "accelerants" used by arsonists to set fires.