Methamphetamine Testing
Meth Testing Home Inspection
Meth is a highly addictive, illegal stimulant that affects the central nervous system. Your health may suffer if you live on a property that has been used for meth production or use. It only takes one instance of meth usage to contaminate a property. Meth contamination is invisible to the naked eye, odorless, and can linger for years without a diminished effect.
That’s why we here at Nook-N-Kranny Home Services provide a meth testing home inspection as one of our specialty inspections. Give yourself the peace of mind you need with a professional meth inspection and verified results.
The Invisible Contaminant
While it’s rare to buy a property where meth has been produced or used, if you suspect that the property you have your eye on has been contaminated, it’s important to get meth testing. Meth users come from all walks of life which means that all sorts of properties may be contaminated.
Properties can be exposed to meth by people either using or cooking it there. If someone used meth on the property, it may or may not produce enough residue to harm future residents, depending on the amount used. Properties that were used to cook methamphetamine have drastically highly levels than properties where it was smoked and nothing more. Homes with methamphetamine residue may also have other potentially toxic substances that can harm your health.
Meth testing lets you know whether or not residue levels are above or below the legal limits for what is considered safe.
Health Problems From Exposure To Meth Contamination
Methamphetamine testing is especially important if you have young children, as they are the most vulnerable to the effects of methamphetamine contamination. Young children, elderly people, and those with compromised immune systems are at the highest risk, but healthy adults may experience adverse health effects too.
Exposure to the toxic chemicals meth leaves behind may cause symptoms similar to those meth users experience. This include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Nose and throat irritation
- Confusion
- Breathing difficulties
The property has to be decontaminated before people can live there if meth is detected above the legal limit.
Keep People Safe With Meth Testing
Residential and commercial properties alike should obtain meth testing as needed. People could have used meth on the property without you knowing. Meth residue is dangerous, odorless, and has no visual signs.
Using it once is enough to contaminate a home. Meth has a long half-life, which means that even if you’re positive and the people you bought the property from are positive that no one ever used meth in their time there, it could have been contaminated before the original owners bought the home. Even newly remodeled structures can test positive for meth and need to be decontaminated.
Landlords have a responsibility to provide their tenants with a safe place to live. Many meth labs are found on rental properties. Landlords may have rental units tested for suspected meth contamination in order to ensure that their facility meets public health and safety standards. Ensure that you regularly maintain your property to avoid paying the high costs associated with contamination, such as litigation.
Methamphetamine is also found in motels and hotels. Ensuring you have good security and that rooms are checked daily can prevent issues associated with methamphetamine contamination like revenue loss, litigation costs, and employee turnover.
Avoid Unpleasant Issues
Getting meth testing with your pre-listing inspection avoids unpleasant issues in the selling process. Buyers will likely want to test to be sure of safety anyway, so testing before selling allows you to take care of the issue.
If meth contamination is found, the price of your property may drop or the buyer may demand that you take care of decontamination. By getting ahead of the curve and taking care of any necessary decontamination prior to listing, you can confidently sell the property for more.
It’s smart to get meth testing done before closing on a property. If you do this after the fact, it then becomes your responsibility to decontaminate it, if need be.
What Happens If Your Property Tests Above Legal Limits
If your property tests above the legal limit, the health department is legally required to close the property to entry until it has been decontaminated and tests below the legal limit. This is because contaminated properties present a health threat to any who enter.
As such, only authorized personnel may enter, for either assessment or decontamination work. Contaminated properties are closed for entry except to authorized personnel. It is a crime for anyone else to enter them or to remove the “closed to entry” placard.
You can hire decontamination specialists to return the property to safe limits. While the health department does not do meth decontamination itself, it maintains a list of certified decontamination specialists you may choose from.
After decontamination, the property is tested again. If the meth levels are below legal limit, the property is no longer considered contaminated and you may move in or move back in.
The Importance of Professional Meth Testing
While home tests can be completed, only results from a certified laboratory that is qualified for the test are accepted. You can use a methamphetamine testing kit from a store to screen your property and see if it is potentially contaminated and may need further testing, but only a professional test with results verified by a qualified laboratory can be accepted for accuracy.
When testing a property for methamphetamine, surfaces are wiped down in order to collect particles. Samples are taken from every room in the house and the ventilation system, then submitted to a verified lab for testing. If the samples show methamphetamine residue over legal limits, the property is considered contaminated.
Contact the experts here at Nook-N-Kranny Home Services for professional meth testing so you can know the true condition of your property and get peace of mind.
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