Following the recent significant increase in Clan Methamphetamine Drug Lab prosecutions a problem has arisen as to how to subsequently determine if a property is fit for human occupation given the fact that most councils place a cleansing order on the properties concerned.
The ESR is already completely tied up with evidential testing as part of the Prosecution Case against the offenders and has indicated that they are unwilling to commit to further testing following cleaning programs.
Given the reluctance by ESR to undertake this area of analysis Dowdell & Associates Ltd set ourselves up in order to provide a this service initial for the Auckland based area but increasingly throughout the country.
This service must be performed prior to the cleaning program in order to determine the areas of concern (hot spots) and as such the cleaners can concentrate on, and after the cleaning program where we can subsequently indicate whether the property is then acceptable for re-occupation.
When undertaking this type of investigation we perform a variety checks as outlined in the Ministry of Health - 'Guidelines for the Remediation of Clandestine Methamphetamine Laboratory Sites' - August 2010.
1) Good visual examination
All accessible areas are inspected with special emphasis on kitchens, bathrooms, toilets and outside areas where appropriate ie; water traps, septic tanks and run offs etc.
Badly stained walls etc will require extensive cleaning by an appropriate company, but in many cases such is the level of staining that we recommend the wall or part there of to be replaced. 'Badly stained walls re-emit absorbed solvent over a considerable period of time'.
Likewise carpets lightly stained or are present in the area of manufacture will require at a minimum a full industrial steam clean or shampoo. If badly marked they too will require to be replaced.
2) Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC's) / Specific Volatiles & Other Chemicals
Clandestine Drug Labs are generally very badly run 'dirty' chemical laboratories with little or no emphasis on safety for those directly associated or the families of such individuals. To get an indication of overall VOC levels we use a ppb~Rae Photo-ionising Detector. In essence this is like a hand held gas chromatograph without the columns.
The unit is the most sensitive PID on the market at present and is able to read at the ppb (parts per billion) or µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) level. While the PID cannot ionise all chemicals associated with Clan Labs (some US authorities put this at approx. 85 different chemicals), it certainly covers most of the more common types.
The PID is set to a low alarm of 2000µg/m3 and a high alarm of 5000µg/m3. This covers the immediate safety of the operators indicating safe levels of at least 37 common chemicals associated with these labs.
Along side the PID unit we test the area for specific volatiles such as Benzene, Toluene and Xylenes as required by the Health Departments Guideline. This screen is performed using ATD - Automated Thermal Desorption - GC-MS (USEPA TO-17).
Surface pH levels through the property are also checked, and depending upon the method used for manufacture other chemical compounds such as HCL, Lead, Iodine and Mercury may be required to be tested also.
3) Residual Drug Screening
All areas of the property in question are screened for Drug Residues using our Mistral 'Narcotics Test Kits'. These have the ability to screen for a range of other drug residues as well as Methamphetamine.
We also screen a minimum of five areas in the property for Methamphetamine levels on hard surfaces as required by the Health Departments Guideline referred to above. Bedrooms or other areas frequented by young children are always included in this screen. The property is not cleared till levels fall below the threshold value of 0.5µg/100cm2 as outlined in the Ministry of Health's - Guidelines.
4) Clearance
Following Decontamination (should that be required) and the property is re-inspected and found to be;
- Visually clean with no significant staining
- All areas giving TVOC levels of <500µg/m3 with Benzene, Toluene & Xylene levels within the Health Departments Guidelines
- Negative Drug Screen Tests from appropriate areas and Methamphetamine levels of <0.5µg/100cm2
- Results to other tests either absent or within normal guidelines
At this stage we are likely to report that the property is acceptable for re-occupation
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