Meth Testing FAQ
For more information about the new standards and what they mean to home owners and us meth testers read our blog here. We are certainly in-line with the new testing and reporting standards.
Firstly, we don't do instant tests. Instant tests are for cowboys and are not recommended or compliant with the new standards.
When sampling for methamphetamine and its precursors on surfaces using methanol moistened wipes, there are a number of sampling techniques that have been developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the industry:
- Individual sample technique (Discreet Sample)
- Multi-wipe field composite technique
- Laboratory composite technique
Meth Testing Hawkes Bay offer all options and use them depending on what is required and balanced with cost to the client.
For more detailed technical information on each sampling technique see here.
Yes, we are very discreet. We know you don't want big banners which scream METH in and around your property. This is why none of our vehicles are sign written and our uniforms don't have over-the-top labels or logos. We don't walk around in boiler suit with gas masks on, so you don't have to worry. If we do need to use this gear we try and put it on away from prying eyes or nosey neighbours.
In the Hawkes Bay, your local council is responsible for enforcing laws around meth contamination. However, even with the new standards, there is still currently no legal requirement to test a property and councils generally don't find out about it unless notified by the Police.
Councils do have powers under the Building Act 2004 and Health Act 1956 to force actions, which can include:
>>> recording the contamination on the property’s Project Information Memorandum (PIM) or Land Information Memorandum (LIM);
>>> requiring the building owner to clean and/or close the building;
>>> requiring the building owner to re-test the building;
>>> requiring the building owner to demolish the building.
The new standards released; NZS 8510:2017 have set one contamination level for all livable areas in properties. Deprecating the previous three-tiered levels.
The new level is: 1.5 µg/100cm². Anything at or above this level is deemed to be contaminated.
The new standards also have very specific testing, reporting and decontamination requirements. For more info check here first.
Yes. This includes the laundry, bathrooms and separate toilets. According to the new standards, any area with its own door has to have its own test done.
If the house has any extra rooms such as a separate toilet, extra living area or bedroom, this will require additional samples to be taken. For more details about pricing and tests click here.
Garages also count as high-use areas under the new standards and should be tested.
See pricing and a brief description of each test here.
Screening Assessment
This test involves combining samples taken from up to 10 rooms. You can add extra blocks of five rooms for $100 each. You'll get a result which will tell you if there is meth present along with an indication of the level of contamination. The new NZS 8510:2017 level of contamination is 1.5µg/100cm². To carry out a screening assessment, two single swabs are used to take samples from up to 5 areas for each swab. It's called a composite swab because the swabs from each of the five areas are combined together into one lab tested sample. The disadvantage of doing the screening assessment is that if you do get a positive reading for meth, there is no way of telling whereabouts in the house the contamination is. To do this you'd have to test again with a detailed assessment. This is why the screening assessment is highly recommended for house hunters and landlords ONLY. If you're in the market for a house, this test will either warn you away, or give you some serious leverage in the negotiations.Detailed Assessment
The easiest to explain, this is the room-by-room test. A completely separate individual test is performed in each room. Rooms larger than 10m² will require one additional sample per 10m². Each room will get it's own contamination level reading within your report. If you have had a positive screening assessment or suspect your property may be contaminated, this is the test for you. To book a screening assessment or detailed assessment click here.It depends what you want to know and why. Our different testing options are detailed on our pricing page.
Here are some further guidelines with examples to help you decide.
Generally, if you're looking to buy or rent a house and just want to find out if a property is meth contaminated or not the Screening Assessment is the most cost effective option.
If you're a home owner and have any suspicion there may be meth present, you need to do the Detailed Assessment right off the bat. Decontamination is a long process and you need to know exactly where the meth is and how bad to start working on it.
Meth Testing Hawkes Bay provides methamphetamine testing for properties in the following areas:
- Hastings
- Napier
- Havelock North
- Bridge Pa
- Clive
- *Crownthorpe
- Elsthorpe
- *Esk View
- *Eskdale
- Haumoana
- *Kahuranaki
- *Kairakau
- *Kotemaori
- *Ongaonga
- *Otane
- *Paki Paki
- *Patoka
- *Porangahau
- *Poukawa
- *Puketapu
- *Putorino
- *Raukawa
- *Raupunga
- *Rissington
- *Sherenden
- *Takapau
- *Te Awanga
- *Te Pohue
- *Tikokino
- *Tuki Tuki
- *Tutira
- *Waimarama
- *Waipawa
- *Waipukurau
- *Wairoa
Something new that appears on meth test reports since the release of NZS 8510:2017, is the term theoretical maximum. A lot of people bawk at these results and don't understand what it means, which is understandable since its a new term and has literally just been thrown out there.
You'll find theoretical max results on screening assessments reports which used composite sampling techniques. What it basically indicates is the worse case scenario for any one area which is sampled. For example if your report has a theoretical max of 5.5µg/sample then it's possible one area could have a reading as high as 5.5µg, but this assumes all other sampled areas are zero, which is highly unlikely.
Field composites are no longer offered. They have been deprecated as the methodology is not ideal for testers or clients.
Field composite samples cannot be broken down into individual room / areas once taken. If contamination is detected, the tester will have to return to the property and take whole new samples. This is not ideal in most cases and is largely a waste of time and money.
The laboratory composite meth testing technique offers the best value for clients and is the most used type of test for pre-purchase inspections and baseline tests for rental properties.
Every room within a property is required to be sampled. The price will vary depending on the size of the property. For more info on prices see here.
Up to ten individual samples can be combined as a laboratory composite. In practice, all ten samples are tested in one mixed sample, giving a single result. This is what you see in your report.
The original individual samples are retained by the lab for up to thirty days and can be tested individually if your result indicates that this is necessary.
Regular priced testing gets results in two working days.
You have the option of results the next working day for an additional $30.
If you need a test done quickly, no problem.
We can usually get this done the same day. Even sooner if we're in your area. A lot of the jobs we do are unattended, so we can move them around to suit urgent jobs.
For urgent jobs, its best to give Neville a call or txt on 021 0876 7132.
P, meth, ice, tina, speed, crank, goey, pure, glass, chalk, poor man's coke, zip, yaba, go fast and crystal.
If your property requires decontamination, the first step is to do a detailed assessment (also called a room-by-room meth test).
This test will give you individual results for every room. It will inform the cleaners (decontaminators) of which rooms are most contaminated and how bad it is. They need this info so they do an effective job cleaning.
Cleaning usually involves removing all carpets and soft furnishings. As well as any ducting and/or heat pumps and heat transfer systems. Strong chemicals are used on all surfaces in contaminated areas including walls, ceilings and inside cupboards and doorways.
Once the cleaning is done. The property will need to be aired usually for 2-3 days. Following that, the areas cleaned will be re-tested to check that the decontamination was successful.
If it was successful, the decontaminators will issue a clearance report and certificate. If not successful, the cleaning / re-testing process will continue until it is successful.