THE METHAMPHETAMINE "MARKER"

Regulated states require sampling for meth residue as an indicator of contamination. Meth is a "marker" for all other chemicals; i.e. you test for meth residue instead of testing for other production chemicals (which is extremely costly). Standards for decontamination are set on meth residue test levels and are based on the premise that removal of meth residue during decontamination will provide adequate management of other harmful contaminants. Below is a listing of helpful definitions related to clandestine drug laboratories:

• “What is a Contaminant?” A chemical residue resulting from the manufacturing, storage, processing or use of methamphetamine.

• “What is a Clandestine Drug Laboratory?” The areas where controlled substances have been manufactured, processed, cooked, disposed of, used, or stored and all proximate areas that are likely to be contaminated as a result of the manufacturing, processing, cooking, disposal, use, or storage.

• "What is a Professional Industrial Hygienist?" A person possessing either a baccalaureate degree in engineering, chemistry, or physics or a baccalaureate degree in a closely related biological or physical science from an accredited college or university, who also has a minimum of three years of industrial hygiene experience.

• “What is a Preliminary Assessment?” An evaluation of a property to determine the current condition, including the nature and extent of observable or detectable contamination, chemical storage, and disposal.

• "What is a Contaminated Property?" Real property (home, apartment, motel/hotel, condominium), vehicle, mobile home or watercraft that has been identified by a law enforcement agency as having been used for the illegal manufacture of a controlled substance or has been proven by assessment to be contaminated.

• “What is Meth Sampling?” The process of collecting methamphetamine residue measurements of a subset of a interior to estimate the characteristics of the entire property.

• “What is Meth Screening Level Sampling?” A scaled-down verison of an assessment of a property for the purpose of determining whether it is a methamphetamine-affected property.

• "What is a Discrete Meth Sample?” One sample collected from a single, defined area or media at a given time and location.

• “What is a Composite Meth Sample?” A sample comprised of multiple samples collected from separate locations.

• "What does Validate Mean?" To validate means to prove that something is based on truth or fact, or is acceptable. All AccuMeth® brand kits and the Black Box Reader® are valiated.

• "How Accurate are Methamphetamine Test Results?" Accuracy depends on the brand of meth testing products that you use. Only AccuMeth® brand kits have been validated by both indepedent laboratory and field testing. Further, the data underwent university review; statisical analysis. Results demonstrate that AccuMeth® is precise, meets NOISH and ASTM sampling protocols and the quality is comparable to laboratory analysis data (more accurate in several experiments).

• “What is Confirmation Sampling?” Collecting samples during a preliminary assessment or upon completion of decontamination activities to confirm that contamination is below the decontamination standards outlined by state regulation.

• “What is Decontamination (Remediation)?” The process of reducing the level of contamination of meth production or use properties to the standards specified by state regulations.

• "What is Property Certification?" Certifing a property means demonstrating the facts about the post-inspection of a decontaminated property, in writing, are true and accurate.