Would you pay $100 for a 1-day meth lab inspection course?

[Nick Gromicko]

I have an educator who wishes to offer this to our chapters.

[Scott Gilligan, CMI]

I would definately love to have this course offerd at one of The Greater Philadelphia Chapter's meetings. Could probaly get one hell of a return on investment in this neck of the woods!

[Jeffrey R. Jonas]

I would also like to attend this course...locally...but, alas, I am unable to locate an "active" chapter in my neck of the woods.

[David A. Andersen]

No thanks. I've been chasing Meth Heads for 13 yrs. I'm done with that.
I've been up close and personal with Labs from the US to China, I think I've got it covered.

I don't do Meth neighborhoods and neither do the Realtors that call me. I try not to have to carry a gun to work anymore, but that's changing if you watch the News from around here!

One area of Marketing my Company is lacking in I guess.

[mnahrgang]

What's going to be covered? I'm offering a class to Realtors on House hold Drug Pollution, and it's no where close to a day. I'm guessing it's more than just taking test swabs...

[wforsyth]

http://www.nachi.org/forum/image.php...ine=1136214147Caoimhín P. Connell vbmenu_register("postmenu_44926", true);
New User

Location: Colorado
Posts: 94


Re: Russell Sprigg's Meth website.
Please Note: This user is a non-member guest and is in no way affiliated with NACHI.
Hello Mr. Spriggs:

Good luck with your new venture in meth testing; I think that it will fill a important need, and is a welcome service.

A couple of weeks ago, I testified before the Colorado Legislative Judicial Committee on the Pending SB 06-02 Bill. I was asked to testify since, apart from being a law enforcement officer involved in meth-lab assessments, I was also the primary author of Colorado’s meth-lab assessment protocols, and the author of the supporting data quality objectives (DQOs) and hypothesis testing for those regs.

One of the issues that came up during my testimony was the question of cost of a meth-lab assessment; which typically runs about $2,500 for a property covered by State regulations, and about $750 for a property not so covered. A question put to me by one of the Senators was “Why isn’t there a cheap little test that one can just “swab” and find out if there is meth.”

My answer was as simple as most of my responses to this board. “There is. However…” There is a difference between a “meth test” and testing a property for the presence of meth. In the first case (a “meth test”), there is no statement of confidence. A “meth test” is merely part of an overall meth assessment; costs all of about $35 and a chimp could be taught to go into an house and collect the sample.

However, in the absence of DQOs, the probability that the sample will actually provide any information on the presence of meth in the home, or the probability of it detecting the presence of ancillary contamination can be very low.

The reason the costs of an assessment is so much higher than a simple test is not because the Industrial Hygienist inflates the cost of the analysis (as happens sooooo much with “certified” mould inspectors) but because the work involves understanding the underlying sampling errors, and establishing a sampling protocol that can address those sampling and analysis errors, and provide a tenable assessment to the client; an assessment that CAN stand up in court (which simple swab tests can’t), and that actually speaks to the issue of the degree of certainty associated with the test.

Two weeks ago I testified against a CIH, with a PhD, who falsely presumed that since he was a Certified Industrial Hygienist and since he had a PhD, he was ipso facto qualified and authorized to perform a meth lab assessment. However, under Colorado’s new regulations, he lacked appropriate training and experience and his work was so shoddy that it did not even rise to the level of a preliminary assessment, and entirely failed to meet even minimum Industrial Hygiene standards, and he showed an appalling lack of technical knowledge. His report was rejected, based on my report and testimony, and my side (the Municipality wherein the meth-lab was located) won their argument.

In the last few months, I have shot down a total of six such clandestine lab assessments by a variety of people who should not be performing this kind of work (including two "certified mould inspectors," one automechanic and two "environmental consultants.") So, whilst, I would encourage homeowners to be aware of meth, and I would encourage the use of testing services, I would also encourage honesty and integrity of the service provider to explain to the customer that the samples may not find a very serious meth problem (high degree of false negatives), and may completely overlook a SERIOUS ancillary contamination issue (which could include mercury, lead, and iodine).

I will be addressing some of these issues in my up-coming May 24th class on meth.

In the meantime, you can learn more about the Colorado regs on clan labs at:
http://www.forensic-applications.com/meth/coloregs.html

and get general info on meth at:
http://www.forensic-applications.com/meth/meth.html

Just some thoughts.

Cheers!

Caoimhín P. Connell
Forensic Industrial Hygienist
www.forensic-applications.com

[mnahrgang]

I would disagree with some of the comments in the letter that Wendy has quoted. Specifically that the swabs don't hold up in court. They do. As a matter of fact the lab that I use, uses the same equipment that is accepted world wide for its results. Of course proper sample gathering techniques and records need to be used for that type of analysis. (I do agree that doing this is relatively easy - not monkey easy - but easy.) It's also much cheaper to provide than what he is proposing.

But all that's really a moot point. We as homeinspectors might choose to do the testing to determine the existence of narcotic residue in the home as a health risk to the buyers/owners. Just like we might supply a radon test. These tests (while they can stand up) aren't usually meant to stand up in court, just to provide information. Besides, all any analysis can do is verify the existence. Not who put it there, or when.

I would probably pay $100 for a 1-day course like this, just for the additional knowledge. But I think it's probably overkill. I'm having a hard enough time marketing the basic swab tests. I think trying to market a $2400 test to most home buyers would be a "deal-killer".

PS. The testing I do can detect Narcotic residue as fine as 1/100 the size of the most stringent legal guidelines for detection. It can detect the existance of Methamphetamine, Amphetamine, Cocaine, Crack-Cocain, Ecstacy, & THC.

[jlerch]

Some thread drift..

What ,if any thing, do you do when you find a bag of marijuana behind a dead front or in a plumbing access while inspecting a rental property?

[Kenneth E. Sitzes]

Will the $100.00 cover all the travel & expense fees, for the educator to come to the chapters?

[mnahrgang]

Originally Posted by jlerch

Some thread drift..

What ,if any thing, do you do when you find a bag of marijuana behind a dead front or in a plumbing access while inspecting a rental property?

Leave it where it's at, take a picture of it, and either mention it to the buyer, or mention it in the report. I also hand them a flier on Household Drug Pollution, and ask them if they would like me to take some samples.

[Gloria Simpson]

Yes, we would be interested.

[Steven C. Waskewicz]

Wondering what ever transpired with this?

[James E. Braun, CMI]

You got to take in account who wrote the letter. He has told nothing but half truths since he has posted on this message board.