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Protect your investment and your family by ensuring your property is free from meth contamination.
Proportionally, Australia uses more methamphetamine than almost any other country.
The possession, supply, traffic, importation, exportation and manufacture of methamphetamine and its precursors are prohibited in all Australian states and territories and against Commonwealth law.
The 2016 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found that 6.3% or 1.3 million Australians over the age of 14 had ever used methamphetamine.
Living in a contaminated house may affect you and your families health. Undetected meth labs, when found by the property owners, may be given cleaned and repainted or decorated, making the property look appealing to new tenants or potential owners. However, the inhabitants are not safe until the meth residue has been removed.
Dr Jackie Wright, an Adjunct Researcher at Flinders University, has been studying the impacts and risks of second-hand exposure to methamphetamine.
“From both manufacture and use, those drug residues deposit and stick to all of the hard surfaces in the property,” Dr Wright said.
“But they also penetrate all the soft things, so furnishings, carpets and curtains.
“The residue then hangs around for years which means we can actually come into contact with them and absorb that drug into our body.”
Dr Wright said the drug can have serious consequences on health and can alter behaviour in children.
“So whenever you’re in the house, you’re exposed and it’s getting in your body,” she said.
“What we’re seeing is effects such as headaches, persistent coughs, increased susceptibility to coughs, colds and infections, eye irritations, skin rashes, trouble sleeping for kids, and vivid dreams.
“We also find some of the kids have behavioural changes, they’re inattentive or some kids become more aggressive in those particular properties.”
Health risks that have been directly related to residents of a meth-contaminated property include:
As a property owner or manager, you are ultimately responsible for ensuring a property is safe for habitation. Australian laws (EPA and local government) say that meth contamination above 0.5 micrograms in a space 100cm square (0.5μg/100cm²) is not acceptable. Landlords face lawsuits from tenants moving into an already-contaminated property, and adjoining neighbours may also seek legal advice. Regular checks provide a deterrent to meth use and detect contamination problems early when they are easier and cheaper to fix.
Contamination levels greater than 0.5μg/100cm² require a property to be remediated. Discovering contamination as early as possible makes remediation less expensive.
Although police remove the bulk of chemicals and equipment used during a drug lab raid, contaminant residues remain on many surfaces and areas at these sites. Drug labs are discovered in suburban homes, motels and even in car boots and trucks.
Meth contamination in a living environment is a serious issue and can affect the health of those inhabiting the property. Exceptional Building Inspections offer a drug testing service to detect meth residue in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Properties. Testing for meth contamination is much more cost-efficient, and also the smart choice when it comes to looking after you and your families health. Call us today on 4950 4197 or 0412 188 199 to learn more about our meth contamination testing services.