Meth Lab Testing and Decontamination process:

1. Drug Lab is found by Police – Once a drug lab is found by the police and all chemicals, drugs, equipment have been seized by the drug squad; the local council is notified of the properties address and contamination found. The local council will than notify the property owner or real estate manager of the contamination within the property. At this time the property will be entered onto the Queensland contaminated property database and will not be removed until a clearance certificate has been produced.


2. Drug Lab Testing – The services of a Industrial Hygienist of Meth Lab testing technician is than required to take samples from the property which are than sent to the laboratory for testing and further analysis. The results to this testing as critical as they will be used determine the level of contamination and areas contaminated so that an appropriate Remediation Action Plan (RAP) can be developed. If after the testing the results are below what is considered a safe level for habitation (0.5ug), a meth clearance certificate will be produced and the property owner notified.


3. The Cleaning Process for a Clandestine Drug Lab 


– removing all contaminated items; In order to clean a meth lab back to a non toxic state, all carpet, curtains, beds, toys, linen, couches and other highly absorbent material must be removed from the affected property and either clean (for high value items) or disposed of. All food preparation surfaces such as kitchen benches will need to be removed and disposes of in most cases.

– where there is visible staining or discolouration of wall, ceilings, tiles or other surfaces, they will need to be removed and disposed of in the correct manor.

– Walls or surfaces that have been painted over (to try to conceal the contamination) must also be removed as the meth residue becomes stuck in the paint and will continue to off gas for many years. It is strongly recommended that home owners do not paint over wall that have been contaminated due to an operating meth lab.

– the property is than thoroughly cleaned from floor to ceiling to remove any dust and other materials that may have built up. This is required so that the crystal clean treatment can be most effective.

– Crystal Clean Treatment – Crystal Clean was developed by the US Government to neutralise highly contaminated materials. Crystal Clean is used by the military and was the first decontaminate to effectively kill anthrax. It is extremely effective in the removal of residue from dangerous chemicals used in the production of methamphetamine as well as meth itself. The product crystal clean is a three part system that must be mixed before applied through an industrial grade foaming machine.

– A final Chemical Fogging treatment is applied to the entire property. The fogging allows every surface of the property to be decontaminated including inside wall and ceilings cavities.

4. Post Meth Lab Testing
Once the property has been thoroughly cleaned and decontaminated a further meth test is conducted by a industrial hygienist. If the levels come back below the safe clearance level, clearance certificate is granted. If meth clearance levels are not meet, further remediation will need to take place until the clearance level is met. All meth remediation work carried out by Biohazard, Trauma & Crime Scene Cleaning is fully guaranteed to receive clearance. If clearance is not given after the property has been decontaminated, all further remediation work and testing will be carried out at the expense of BTCSC. For more information on the visit methlabs.com.au

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Dangers of Meth Labs (Clandestine Drug Labs)

When the cooking process takes place, methamphetamine becomes airborne both as a particular and a vapor. It is able to absorb into furniture, floors, walls, clothing, furnishings and children’s toys. Exposure to these harmful chemicals used in the production of meth can cause a multitude of health issues, children and the elderly are will often be the most affected by these dangerous chemicals. Exposure to high levels of the chemicals used in the production of methamphetamine has been linked to serious illness, cancer and even death.
In Australia the safe level of exposure is set at 0.5 ug though it is important to note that these levels are not based on health effects as currently there is not the research available to determine what the safe level of exposure is. In saying this, practically anyone that has been associated with a meth cook area will return a positive urine reading for methamphetamine.

Often after a meth lab is seized there are other drug paraphernalia such as syringes or needles that have not been found and disposed of by the police or forensic drug unit. If is important that the highest level of care and protective equipment is used when removing contaminates from a meth cook house to ensure any hidden needles, bobby traps or other hazards are detected and removed in a safe manor.
An operating meth lab is extremely dangerous as they are highly volatile and often set up incorrectly and with no regard to the health and safety of the current or future occupants. One wrong move can ignite fumes and other chemicals setting off a huge chemical explosion within the property putting all occupants and neighboring properties at risk. If you come in contact or see the signs that a clandestine drug lab has been in operation, remove yourself from the area and contact police immediately to discuss what you have encounter.

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