How is UV light used in arson investigations?
Arson investigators use ultraviolet light as a simple, reliable and cost effective method of arson detection. Ultraviolet light is used to detect information that is otherwise invisible to the human eye and to uncover valuable information which can be used to solve a fire investigation. UV light is used to: • Identify the presence of accelerants • Identify pour patterns Accelerants UV light not only assists in identifying the presence of accelerants ( a substance that accelerates the spread of fire or makes a fire more intense ) , but also in rapidly locating accelerant residues, and assisting in locating the point of origin of the fire. The color which accelerants glow is affected by heat exposure. The longer an accelerant is exposed to heat (i.e. the origin), the more differentiated its fluorescence color will be from other less exposed areas. Evidence of accelerants gets absorbed in a fire and is therefore almost always invisible to the naked eye. The area tarnished by accelerants h