Improper Meth Test Warning

Improper Meth Test Procedures can lead to inaccurate test results. Inaccurate meth tests are meaningless and potentially very expensive & harmful.

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How to spot an Improper Meth Test in Salt Lake City, Utah

Testing your home or business is the important first step in the creation of a decontamination work plan. When sampling a home or business it is critical to understand that accurate results are the end goal. Why?An Improper Meth Test can leave contamination in a home or business and will put the health and safety the people in those structures in danger. An Improper Meth Test can also cost thousands in unneeded decon costs and thousands more in reconstruction costs. 

A Simple List of Best Practices Used By Professional Decon Specialists. 

1. Did the Person Taking The Meth Samples Use Templates: A temple is square box 10×10 centimeters.  The only way to get a accurate simple is by using template.
2. Did the Person Taking The Meth Samples Where Gloves and Change Out Gloves (a lot of gloves)? The first thing any professional will do when they walk onto a property is put on gloves. Contaminating can happen this a single touch and it is important that the person taking the samples protect their hands from contamination. The sample test areas should be prepared and the test templates placed with clean gloves. The person taking the samples should put on new gloves after each step of the sampling process and after collecting each sample. There should be a 2-3 pair of gloves used for even a simple single sample.
3. Did the Person Taking The Samples Take Pictures of The Sample Areas? This will allow others to see where the samples were collected from and to potentially duplicate the sample results if needed. Templates must be placed and be visible for the pictures to hold value. Without pictures there is no way to prove what was really sampled.
4. Be There, Watch the Testing if Possible, Ask Questions and Take Charge if Needed: If possible, it is always best to be there in person and watch the meth test in person. Watching the sampling process will keep everybody on their toes. If you see that the person is not following the first 3 guides outlined above, ask them why they aren’t following those guides. Make written notes of the fact that they did not follow the guides and even feel free to record the sampling process to call out questions or concerns later. If the person taking the samples refuses to answer your questions, let you record the sampling process, or allow you to attend the sampling processes, don’t move forward with the test. Stop the inspection and/or hire a different inspector or meth testing professional.
5. The guides outlined above are a small collection of best practices and regulations outline by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.  Few Home Inspectors will follow the guides outlined here because they don’t have. They are not regulated the same way that Certified Decontamination Specialists are. Home Inspectors are not Mandatory Reports and they do not have to send their results to the County Health Dept and therefore they do not have to defend their results to the County Health Dept.   Home Inspectors are not concerned about collecting accurate samples. Home Inspectors want make sure buyers are aware of all the issues that the home may present. With that in mind, for Home Inspectors it is better to oversample and get results show higher levels than to undersample and miss potentially harmful levels of meth residue. The answer to all of this is to be exact and disciplined with regard to sample collection.

Meth Test Before You Sell or Purchase a Home or Business

If you are in the process of purchasing a home or business, call us for a methamphetamine contamination test. Fact is, Utah has a problem with methamphetamine use and production.  A simple meth test will provide you with peace of mind or help you better understand the challenges and health risks the property may present.

Call us today for more information about Utah Meth Testing Services or Utah Methamphetamine Decontamination Services (801) 438-7632.

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Utah Meth Testing Services Links & Decontamination Resource 

• Certified Decontamination Specialists

• Salt Lake County Methamphetamine Contaminated Properties List

• Salt Lake City Health Department Frequently Asked Questions 
• Utah Methamphetamine Decontamination Standards April 2017
• Salt Lake County Health Department
• Utah Department of Environmental Quality