HomeTech does methamphetamine testing upon request or upon real estate document request. The methamphetamine testing we do is a baseline test to determine if there’s any evidence of meth at a baseline level. If anything comes up in our testing, we’ll refer you to a meth testing and remediation company with a more complete test. If the HomeTech test comes in low, there’s no need for further steps.
What is methamphetamine (also known as “crystal meth” or “meth”)?
Methamphetamine (also known as “crystal meth” or “meth”) is a highly addictive and illegal stimulant. A meth lab is an illegal drug-manufacturing site, often a house or apartment, containing equipment and potentially toxic chemicals required to produce meth. Meth is one of many common household dangers.
Carpeting, wallboard, ceiling tile and fabric may absorb spilled or vaporized chemicals. These chemicals may remain for many years after the meth lab has been disassembled, potentially poisoning future tenants. It can cost tens of thousands of dollars to make contaminated homes habitable.
How does HomeTech test for meth?
Sometimes evidence of meth presence is very obvious, especially if the property contained meth very recently. An inspector could notice the presence of equipment used to cook meth, such as pressure cookers, jugs, blenders, aluminum foil, thermometers, funnels and more. The odors associated with meth labs often smell sweet or bitter, and some people have described it as burning popcorn.
In most cases, the presence of meth is not as obvious and we test other areas of the house, not nearly as obvious. We are usually looking for a dust sample to send off for testing. The older the dust, the better. We prefer to gather dust from the furnace intake as it circulates air in the house and a good place to find old dust. If there’s not a furnace available, we’ll try to find other places that collect dust such as atop a ceiling fan or on top of a tall shelf. The less frequent this place is cleaned, the better.
What does a meth report look like from HomeTech?
We will report on the concentration limits. The reporting limit is 1.0 for the State of Utah. If any meth comes up any more than 0.0, we would let you know and recommend further testing.
