What’s New at BrightFields, Inc.

In December, BrightFields sampled artifacts recovered from the World Trade Center wreckage to confirm the objects were free of asbestos. The objects, which highlight items belonging to police officers who were at the site of the 9/11/01 attacks, include a partially incinerated revolver, an officer’s badge, debris from the buildings, and a shattered piece of one of the airplanes that flew into the World Trade Center. They will be put on display at the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, D.C., in a future exhibit. “It was an incredibly moving experience, not only to have seen and held these objects, but also to have played a part in making them available to a larger audience,” said Matt Jones, the BrightFields project manager who conducted the sampling.

Working with Washington-based art conservator Catherine Magee, BrightFields earlier this year confirmed that the objects were contaminated with asbestos. Magee then cleaned the objects, using a variety of techniques, in order to make the objects safe for human contact while preserving the integrity of the artifacts. To conduct the sampling, dust collected from each of the objects was sent to a laboratory for analysis, which confirmed that they had been thoroughly decontaminated.

The National Law Enforcement Museum

The mission of the National Law Enforcement Museum (http://www.nleomf.org/museum/) is to tell the story of American law enforcement through exhibits, collections, research and education. The Museum dynamically engages the broadest possible audience in this story in an effort to build mutual respect and foster cooperation between the public and the law enforcement profession. By doing so, the Museum contributes to a safer society and serves to uphold the democratic ideals of the U.S. Constitution.

Piece of one of the airplanes that flew into the WTC.

Partially incinerated handgun.