Homeowners, Renters and Home Buyers

Stewarts have been servicing WA families since 1954. We have over 65 years of experience in the service industry. You can trust our refined team of testing specialists.

Home Buyers, Homeowners & Renters

We understand that protecting your home and your family's health is always your highest property. This is why Stewarts have created a process of testing that is easy and efficient for WA families.

Sadly contaminated home pose a very high risk to not only adults but more severely young children. Effects range from person to person, but common symptoms include respiratory problems, headaches, trouble sleeping and even nausea and vomiting. These effects can sometimes be the only

Renters

indicators as meth reside is invisible and consists of little to no odour. This contamination does not break down easily either, sometimes taking decades.

If you have concerns that your home is contaminated, give us a call today, and we can talk through the symptoms and the visual indicators you may be noticing. From here we can direct you in pursuing the most cost-effective and accurate process of testing that suits you and your family.

Homeowners

No "Meth Testing" Signage!

Concerned about nosey neighbours?

We can attend your property in a Stewarts Pest Control truck.

When we arrive you wont receive unusual looks from your neighbours due to large signs noting "meth testing" or any of the alike. We can arrive in one of our Stewarts Pest Control trucks to protect your privacy.

HOME BUYERS

If you're about to purchase a new home, we strongly advise that you get a Pre-purchase Methamphetamine Test and Inspection completed. When you put down your deposit, you will need to add this under your condition of sale. Remember, when you are buying a house, the owners/agents are obligated to tell you about the presence of a class A drug (Meth) if they know about it! We can complete a Rapid test at 0.5ug to identify if meth contamination is present within your building.

Find out more information on The Visibility of Meth Contamination & Hiding It and The Risks of Not Testing.

How does methamphetamine contaminate a surface?

The two main ways that a building/property becomes contaminated is through smoking and the manufacturing of methamphetamine.

When an individual smokes meth, the drug is heated, causing vapours to be released. The excess vapour that is not inhaled by the smoker is then released on the floors, furnishings, walls, and duct system, leaving a toxic residue of meth.

Surfaces that are contaminated by the manufacturing process of methamphetamine usually show a lot higher reading than surfaces with smoking residue. Manufacturing contamination arises from aerosol production, spillage & waste disposal.

Chemicals such as Lithium metal, Liquid Ammonia, LPG, Acetone, Hydrochloric Acid and Caustic Soda that are commonly used in the cooking process can become air born and land on surfaces and inside porous materials.

Contamination can also arise from solid forms of methamphetamine that have been spilled and worked into carpets, furniture and upholstery.
How does meth contamination affect human health?
The effect of living in a contaminated building can be wide-ranging. The symptoms can be similar to the seasonal impacts associated with allergies or colds and flu or more problematic.

The main point of difference you need to note is that symptoms will persist far longer than you would typically expect. Some people may experience none of these symptoms, while others may suffer from a large number of them.

Symptoms include:
- Headaches
- Watery or burning eyes
- Nausea
- Burning skin
- Coughing or choking
- Pain in diaphragm
- Feeling cold or weak
- Shortness of breath or dizziness
- A decrease in cognitive function
- Confusion
- Vertigo
- Convulsions
- Sleep disorders
- Stinging Eyes
The chemical residue, leftover from the manufacturing process, can seep into soft furnishings, carpets, timber floors and door frames, and even walls and ceilings. While you often can’t see the toxins, you may be made painfully aware of their presence through the above symptoms. Children, adults and pets living in contaminated dwellings have been known to suffer ill-effects of exposure.

Sadly children are most at risk due to their inquisitive nature naturally wanting to touch and taste and texture of different objects.

For more information, head to our blog page!
What are the Australian Guidelines?
- Australian Guidelines for Meth Residue within a Residential Property is 0.5μg/100cm2
- Australian Guidelines for Meth Residue within a Commercial/Industrial Property is 10μg/100cm2.
The Australian Government (in its Clandestine Drug Laboratory Remediation Guidelines – 2011) has set the Health Investigation Level at 0.5μm (micrograms) per 100cm2 for meth on residential surfaces.

Exceedance of this Investigation Level (IL) does not necessarily mean a risk exists but indicates the need for further investigation or action such as a NIOSH 9111 test. This guideline is set as a goal to receive a reading of below this national health investigation level (HIL) of 0.5ug/100cm2, the exceedance of this level is considered unacceptable.
Why is it essential to get rental properties tested?

Property managers and owners leasing out property have a legal responsibility to make sure the tenant is living in a safe and healthy environment.

On top of this, a tenant is considered to be causing malicious damage when smoking or manufacturing Meth, causing contamination to the building.

This is why we recommend a 0.2ug rapid test when a tenant is vacating a property. This ensures that the property remains contamination free.
Do Stewarts offer Payment Plans?

YES! Installments can be made quickly and efficiently with the assistance of our accounts manager.
I suspect my rental or personal home is contaminated, what test should I do first?

Depending on your situation, we will start with a rapid test at either 0.2μg or 0.5μg. This test will identify if meth is present within the property.
We will mostly start testing at 0.5μg as this is the Australian guideline level. This Rapid test will give a positive or negative result to methamphetamine residue over 0.5μg or over 0.2μg. We will complete this test to the number of rooms you request.
If a single room (or multiple rooms) show positive to methamphetamine residue over 0.5μg, we then suggest that you test those rooms with the NIOSH 9111 test. This test is a laboratory test that will show the exact contamination level.
At each step of the testing process, we will explain the results and what the next step is.

RENTERS

About to rent a house? Ensure that you are moving yourself and your family into a safe, meth contamination free house.

The presence of meth cannot be detected by smells or the naked eye, it requires proper testing.

Call us today and move in worry-free so you can enjoy the new house.

Find out more information on The Visibility of Meth Contamination & Hiding It and The Risks of Not Testing.

HOMEOWNERS

You may have just purchased property and are experiencing unusual flu-like symptoms, notice ADHD, anxiety or rashes in your kids or watery eyes when cleaning. These symptoms may have built up slowly over the few months since you have moved in. Your new home may be contaminated with Methamphetamine. If you have this concern, we can complete a Rapid test at 0.2ug or 0.5ug to identify if meth contamination is present within your home.

The Risks of Not Testing

Not testing a property before you purchase it can lead to concerning health effects for whoever lived within it, especially children and pets. The health effects below were noted in an Australian family who purchased a home that was a former meth lab. You can read more about this in our blog post The Health Risk of Meth Contamination and Dr Jackie Wright’s Case Study. Legal risks and financial risks are also very real if the property is contaminated. You can find more information noted below.

Health Risks

The effects of meth can be varied and long lasting depending on the exposure. Symptoms can include:

Headaches
Burning, watery or stinging eyes
Nausea
Coughing or choking
Shortness of breath or dizziness
Feeling cold or weak
Convulsions

If methamphetamines have been smoked or manufactured on a property, the contamination will seep into walls, floors, furniture and carpet.

If you have small children who are prone to touching everything, they are exposed to the risk of getting contaminated.

Legal Risks

Property owners and managers are responsible for ensuring that a property is a safe and healthy habitation for renters. Australia laws (EPA and local government) states that meth contamination above the 0.5μg/100cm² is not acceptable. Landlords are beginning to face lawsuits from tenants who have moved into an already contaminated property and have become sick as a result.

Financial Risks

Decontaminating property can cost thousands of dollars. If decontamination form a meth lab is necessary, costs usually start around $10,000 but can easily reach $40,000 for a large home. Some homes are contaminated to the point where it cannot be decontaminated, and the building needs to be demolished. This financial cost is very really covered by insurance and unfortunately falls to the owners.

When considering this Stewarts Drug testing can also offer alternative decontamination methods depending on the level of contamination.

The Visibility of Meth Contamination & Hiding It

Visibility of Meth Contamination

If you’re interested in purchasing a new home, it's essential to look out for visual indicators of meth contamination and signs of where someone is trying to cover up meth contamination. Meth contamination is difficult to identify visually. This is why expert testing is required. Contamination is usually orderless but can sometimes leave a subtle smell if usage or manufacturer is high.

Key Visual Indicators

As noted earlier, detecting Meth contamination visually is not that easy. Even police officers with many years of expense and training cannot always spot houses that have been used for manufacturing meth or were meth users have occurred. There are a few key indicators that you may notice when looking around a property. They Include:

Stains to sinks and/or baths/toilets
Burn marks in the carpet
Red staining around walls and on floors
Unusual ventilation systems
Burnt batches in the garden/grass areas
Smells like varnish or paint thinner, a “hospital” type smell, vinegar or other sour smells

Hiding Contamination

While we have a few key indicators of meth contamination, these indicators can be covered up very easily. We often find that these few tactics have been used to try cover up contamination within a property that is for sale or a new rental. These tactics will not decontaminate the home and tenants/home buyers will still be impacted by the negative health consequences. Tactics to cover up contamination include:

Any odour can be masked easily as meth has little to no odour.
Newly painted walls to hid staining
Renovated kitchens, bathrooms or garages to hid damage and staining
New plumbing. To hind stains from the waste fluid. Toilets and baths are key indicators
New carpet to hid damage including staining and burn marks.
Recent gardening to hind bun patches