If you are considering purchasing a home you will want to learn as much as you can about the house before you buy it. It may be the largest investment you will ever make. To minimize unexpected costs or difficulties, a comprehensive home inspection by Rock Creek Inspections is crucial. Our inspection may identify the need for repairs, builder oversights or maintenance issues and hidden dangers, such as methamphetamine contamination. Contamination of residential homes with methamphetamine is an emerging issue of significant concern to public health. Cooking or smoking methamphetamine in a residential property contaminates the house, furnishings and personal possessions within it, with subsequent exposure through ingestion, dermal absorption and/or inhalation causing adverse health effects. In addition, chemicals used to make illegal drugs may be spilled during handling. Meth can also be distributed through the use of the drug. The presence of these chemicals may post health threats to occupants and potential liability to property owners. Due to the seriousness of this problem, over two dozen states have adopted regulatory testing and decontamination standards and many more will follow suit before the end of the decade. In our experience, any home may be contaminated by meth, from the “Million dollar custom home on the golf course” to the “tiny home built a century ago in a forgotten about side of town”, we have all seen Breaking Bad. We have found that there is no common indicators of a meth contaminated home, that is why we recommend every home be lab tested.
What is it?
Meth, or methamphetamine (N-methyl-1-phenylpropan-2-amine), is a very potent central nervous system stimulant substance that was originally developed in the 1800’s. The medicinal uses of the drug were related to its very strong stimulant effects, but with the advent of the Controlled Substances Act passed in 1970, its medicinal use has been significantly reduced the drug is better recognized as a significant drug of abuse.
*MT HB60, 2005 – MCA Title 75, chapter 10, part 13 Methamphetamine Contamination-Indoor Property Decontamination Standards(2005)
How Rock Creek Tests a Home for Meth
Rock Creek Inspections adheres to strict lab approved collection standards, and chain of custody protocol to ensure our clients get the most accurate testing of a home. The team at Rock Creek Inspections will sample 4 areas (meth contamination does not distribute homogenously) throughout the home and deliver the samples to our accredited laboratory utilizing the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) modified 9111 method of analysis. Results are usually available within 2-3 business days of the sample collection. The laboratory analyzes the methamphetamine samples using liquid-chromatography/gas spectrometry (LC/MS). Liquid chromatography -mass spectrometry (LC/MS) is a chemistry technique that combines the physical separation capabilities of liquid chromatography with the mass analysis capabilities of mass spectrometry. LC/MS is a powerful technique used form any application which has very high sensitivity and selectivity. LC/MS is the most common method of meth sample analysis.
