Meth testers’ game up
A Hawke’s Bay-based meth tester says his industry was well aware that there was no risk from methamphetamine smoke residue in homes, as outlined on Tuesday in a government report.
The report from the Prime Minister’s chief science adviser, Sir Peter Gluckman, found there was no risk to humans from third-hand exposure to houses where methamphetamine had been consumed.
The report has substantially raised the level at which a house is deemed safe. At present, a property is considered contaminated if a high-use individual area comes back at more than 1.5 micrograms per 100 square centimetres.
Meth Testing owner Neville Pettersson said the report did not come as a surprise as many meth testers already knew the 1.5mcg standard was too low and was creating unnecessary panic.
‘‘The standard was quite low and was freaking people out, but the report now says those houses are all OK. But a lot of us knew they were OK anyway,’’ Pettersson said.
‘‘The standard was brought up a bit pre-emptively and there was a push to do something quickly because everyone was jumping on this meth bandwagon to start up businesses and clean up houses.
‘‘They did it too quick, they did it too low, and now they fixed it up.
‘‘We all knew it [the report] was going to come and it finally has.’’
In June 2017, a new standard of 1.5mcg per 100sqcm was selected as the clean-up level in the New Zealand standard for testing and decontamination of meth-contaminated properties.
But the standard has changed to a measure of 15mcg per 100sqcm, which is 10 times higher.
Pettersson said the standard was a good change but it could kill the methtesting industry.
He usually gets anywhere between five and 10 calls every day, but hadn’t received any since the report was released on Tuesday morning.
‘‘The industry is going to suffer – it might even be dead,’’ he said.
‘‘There’s been other meth testers and decontaminers questioning the report because it affects their business. But you have to accept the science behind it.’’
Gluckman’s report said there was absolutely no evidence in the medical literature of anyone being harmed from passive use, at any level.
But Home Owners and Buyers Association president John Gray said he had received hundreds of complaints from homeowners, including one about a woman who died of tongue cancer that had been linked to her living in a home that tested above the 1.5mcg per 100sqcm standard.
‘‘This report has come out of the blue and we’re dismayed it has done so and now cast a shadow on the people who put together the previous standard,’’ Gray said. ‘‘It’s hugely disappointing.’’
Meth testing can cost a homeowner about $200. The process takes about half an hour and then the sample gets sent to a laboratory for testing.
The clean-up processes vary depending on the size of the home and types of surfaces involved.
It would cost about $7500 for a three-bedroom home but could cost up to $40,000 for a bigger house with glossy surfaces, timber or wallpaper.
The Commerce Commission said it had received four complaints in the past five years about meth testing.
A commission spokesperson said complaints included allegations of exaggerated contamination or recommending unnecessary remediation.
All complaints were assessed but no enforcement action was taken.
‘‘The industry is going to suffer – it might even be dead.’’ Neville Pettersson, owner of Meth Testing