Methamphetamine residue is invisible and can stay on surfaces for years. NAMC sets the standards testing and decontamination companies must meet, and helps tenants, buyers, owners and property managers find one that meets them.
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Accredited testing, decontamination and laboratory members across Australia
An NAMC testing member samples every room using the NIOSH 9111 wipe method and sends the samples to a NATA accredited laboratory. Your report shows the level in each room against the 0.5 guideline, so you know exactly what needs cleaning and what does not.
Example room by room results
Surface wipe samples, micrograms per 100 cm²
Australia has no single national licence for meth testing or decontamination. Anyone can buy a kit, print a certificate and call themselves an expert. NAMC was formed to define and enforce standards and protocols for testing and decontamination, so property owners and occupants get results they can trust and remediation that actually works.
Every contaminated property follows the same basic path. Knowing it in advance helps you ask the right questions, compare quotes properly and avoid paying for work you do not need.
Start with an indicative screen or go straight to a full laboratory assessment. An NAMC testing member takes NIOSH 9111 compliant wipe samples from each room and sends them to a NATA accredited lab. You receive a report showing which rooms, if any, are above the guideline.
If results are above the guideline, an NAMC decontamination member uses the report to prepare a Remediation Action Plan and a written quote. The plan explains what will be cleaned, what will be removed, how waste is handled and how workers and neighbours are protected.
The tester returns to resample the property. If any room is still above the guideline, the decontamination member returns to treat it again. When every result passes, a clearance certificate is issued and the property is safe to occupy.
The right first step depends on your relationship to the property. These are the three situations we hear about most often on our phone line.
Perhaps a neighbour mentioned police visits, or your children have unexplained rashes, sleep trouble or headaches since you moved in. You have a right to ask questions about the place you live.
A building and pest inspection will not detect meth residue. Remediating a heavily contaminated house can cost tens of thousands of dollars, so testing before settlement is cheap protection.
Landlords, agencies, community housing providers and public trustees all have a duty to provide safe housing. Baseline testing between tenancies protects the next tenant and your asset.
Our members agree to work to current Australian guidelines and to have that work checked. Here is what that means in practice when they are in your home.
Clear information helps you avoid both panic and complacency. Read the full guide for detail on health effects, how residue spreads and what the guideline level means.
Smoking meth leaves a film on walls, ceilings, carpets and air ducts. Manufacturing leaves far heavier chemical contamination.
Babies and toddlers, because they crawl, touch and mouth surfaces. Pregnant people and those with existing health conditions should also take care.
Research has linked exposure with sleep problems, behavioural changes, headaches, breathing issues and skin or eye irritation.
Instant kits give a quick indication. Only a laboratory test tells you how much residue is present and where.
NAMC research, led by Dr Jackie Wright, author of the 2019 Australian Voluntary Code of Practice, investigates where contamination hides and how it affects health.
Light switches and power points are touched constantly and are rarely cleaned. NAMC is funding laboratory grade testing to find out whether they really hold more residue than the walls around them.
Read article
Practical advice for landlords, property managers, agents, vendors, buyers, tenants and insurers on preventing, detecting and dealing with meth contamination.
Read article
A study of 100 Australian remediation businesses, made up of 64 independent operators and 36 franchise contacts, and what their practices reveal about the industry.
Read articleAnswers to the questions people ask us most. If yours is not here, call 1300 868 680 during business hours.
You cannot tell by looking or smelling. Residue from smoking methamphetamine is invisible and usually odourless once smoke has cleared. The only reliable way to know is to test surfaces. An instant screening kit can give a quick yes or no indication, and a laboratory test by an NAMC testing member tells you exactly how much residue is present in each room and whether it is above the guideline level.
Low levels below the guideline are not considered a health concern for occupants. Risk rises with the amount of residue, the time spent in the property and who lives there. Babies and young children are the most exposed because they crawl on floors, touch surfaces and put their hands in their mouths. That is why Australian guidelines set a conservative level, and why testing is worth doing before you move in.
Instant screening kits generally cost under $50 per property. A full laboratory assessment costs more because a trained tester visits, takes compliant samples from each room and pays for NATA accredited analysis. Prices vary by property size, location and the number of samples. Ask two NAMC testing members for a written quote that lists the number of samples and what the report includes.
Independence matters. We recommend the company that tests and validates the property is separate from the company that carries out the decontamination. This removes any incentive to overstate contamination before a clean or understate it afterwards. NAMC members are expected to declare any conflict of interest to you in writing.
Leave immediately and do not touch anything. Chemicals used to manufacture drugs can be toxic, flammable or explosive. Call Triple Zero (000) if there is an immediate danger, or your local police. You can report information anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Once police have released the property, contact an NAMC member for assessment.
An NAMC member has shown the board that it holds the qualifications, insurance and procedures required for its membership category, and has agreed to follow current Australian guidelines and our code of conduct. The board can request any member's testing report or Remediation Action Plan at any time. If something goes wrong, you can raise a complaint with us and we will review the member's work.
Our team can explain your options, point you to the right guideline for your state and connect you with an accredited member near you.
