Contamination testing is only as good as the method behind it. This page explains how Test Australia plans sampling, which laboratories analyse the samples, how results are interpreted and what our reports contain.
Two assessments of the same property can reach different conclusions if they sample different places, use different methods or interpret results differently. The method matters as much as the laboratory result.
Test Australia plans each assessment around the question being asked. Dan Neil, Principal Occupational Hygienist and Chartered Chemist, has worked in contamination assessment since 2001. Sampling is designed to characterise the property, results are reported with their uncertainty, and the report says what the results can and cannot show. See our meth testing page for how this applies to methamphetamine.
Sampling the same rooms in every property, regardless of layout, history or visual evidence, has several weaknesses:
Methamphetamine surface wipes follow NIOSH Method 9111, a US surface-wipe method for methamphetamine that specifies the wipe technique, the template area and blank and quality-control samples, with a liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry finish.
All methamphetamine samples are analysed by an independent NATA-accredited laboratory by LC-MS/MS following NIOSH Method 9111. This provides quantified results, with the method and chain of custody documented. Test Australia itself is not NATA-accredited.
Where the question requires it, we look at whether the evidence supports an opinion on manufacture. No concentration on its own shows that a property was used for manufacture.
We design sampling to represent the property as a whole, and we report how many samples were taken and where.
Every Test Australia assessment is built on these foundational principles.
Test Australia does not own or operate a laboratory. WA Health recommends that the company testing a property is different from the company remediating it. Test Australia tests and gives a signed opinion. We do not clean, remediate, manage claims, or receive income from cleaning, remediation or referral arrangements. The evidence is the same whoever engages us — owner, buyer, tenant, landlord, insurer, loss adjuster or remediator.
Representative sampling, independent laboratory analysis and reported uncertainty.
Clear documentation of method, findings and the reasoning behind each opinion.
We don't just detect — we investigate sources, patterns, and context.
Opinions are limited to what the results support, and the report states its limits.
Every assessment documents its method, chain of custody and limitations so that any party can test it.
We discuss property history, your specific concerns, and any available information about potential contamination. This informs sampling strategy design — we don't use a one-size-fits-all approach.
On-site inspection identifies visual indicators of contamination, potential source locations, and informs strategic sample placement. For meth testing, we look for manufacturing indicators. For mould, we identify moisture sources.
Samples are collected by Test Australia's suitably qualified occupational hygienists, with chain-of-custody records, and methamphetamine wipes follow NIOSH Method 9111. Sample locations are chosen so the results represent the property.
Samples are analysed by independent laboratories using a method suited to the test. Methamphetamine is analysed by LC-MS/MS following NIOSH Method 9111 at a NATA-accredited laboratory, mould by microscopy at a NATA-accredited laboratory, and bacteria by culture at an independent laboratory named in the report. Laboratory results are quantified, not just positive or negative.
Results are interpreted by a Chartered Chemist, who states which criterion the results are compared against and why. For methamphetamine, any opinion on manufacture rests on manufacture-specific markers and site evidence, assessed together.
Our reports set out the method, chain of custody, results, uncertainty and limitations so that any party can test them. Whether a court, tribunal or insurer relies on a report is a decision for them.
Owners, buyers and insurers often want to know whether methamphetamine was made in a property or only used there. This matters because the scope of any clean-up, and the questions people ask afterwards, can differ.
No concentration on its own shows that a property or vehicle was used for manufacture. An opinion on manufacture rests on manufacture-specific markers and site evidence, assessed together, and the report states its limits.
0.5 µg/100 cm² is the residential indoor-surface investigation level for methamphetamine in the Australian Government’s Clandestine Drug Laboratory Remediation Guidelines (2011). A result above it triggers further investigation or remediation. It is not a line between safe and unsafe, and it applies whether residue came from use or manufacture.
The pattern of results across the property, manufacture-specific markers where the laboratory can test for them, physical evidence on site and any known history. A presumptive test kit cannot do this.
We do not label a property “manufacture” or “use” from a concentration band. The report states the results against the named criterion and the verification sampling that would be needed after decontamination. Decisions about cleaning, replacement and cost are for the remediator, insurer and owner.
NIOSH Method 9111, published by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, is a surface-wipe method for methamphetamine. It specifies:
Using a published method means another tester can follow the same steps and compare results.
Methamphetamine results are compared with the 0.5 µg/100 cm² investigation level (Clandestine Drug Laboratory Remediation Guidelines, 2011). There is no Australian Standard for meth testing. For other contaminants, the report names the criterion used and why.
Learn more about the 0.5 µg/100 cm² level and other criteria used in reports.
Methamphetamine samples are analysed by a laboratory accredited by NATA. Mould samples are also analysed by a NATA-accredited laboratory. For other tests the report names the laboratory and states any accreditation that applies. NATA accreditation under ISO/IEC 17025 covers:
Where a laboratory is not accredited for the test, there is no independent assessment of its competence for that analysis. Learn more about laboratories and NATA.
Every sample is documented from collection through analysis with full chain of custody records. This provides an audit trail that any party can check.
Surface wipe samples are collected to NIOSH Method 9111 and analysed at an independent NATA-accredited laboratory. Test Australia designs the sampling plan for the question being asked. Each sample is sealed, labelled and recorded under chain of custody. The report sets out the method, the results, the criterion each result is compared with, and the limitations.
NIOSH Method 9111 is a US surface-wipe method for methamphetamine that specifies the wipe technique, the template area and blank and quality-control samples, with a liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry finish. Using a published method means another tester can follow the same steps.
It depends on the size of the property and the question being asked. Where samples are taken matters as much as how many. The report lists every sample location so that anyone reading it can see how the property was characterised.
Surfaces are chosen so the results represent the property as a whole and answer the question being asked. The report lists every sample location and explains how the results are interpreted. Test Australia's suitably qualified occupational hygienists collect the samples. Every assessment is scoped to the question being asked.
Samples are analysed by an independent NATA-accredited laboratory, by LC-MS/MS following NIOSH Method 9111. Each laboratory certificate in the report names the laboratory and any accreditation that applies. Test Australia itself is not NATA-accredited. Test Australia's suitably qualified occupational hygienists collect the samples. Every report is signed.
A mould inspection combines a visual inspection, moisture mapping and, where it helps answer the question, air and surface sampling. Moisture meters and thermal imaging show where water remains. Samples are analysed by a NATA-accredited laboratory. Test Australia designs the sampling plan for the question being asked.
Air sampling measures airborne spores and compares indoor with outdoor air. Surface sampling identifies what is growing on a particular surface. Each answers a different question, so the inspection uses the one that fits. The report names the laboratory and states any accreditation that applies to each test.
A contamination report should set out the method, the results, the criterion each result is compared with, and the limitations. It should name the assessor and their qualifications and include laboratory certificates. Our reports are prepared so they can be relied on in a tribunal, court or insurance claim. Whether it is relied on is a decision for that body.
There is no Australian Standard for meth testing, but published guidelines and methods apply. The Clandestine Drug Laboratory Remediation Guidelines (2011) set the 0.5 µg/100 cm² residential investigation level for methamphetamine. NIOSH 9111 is a US surface-wipe method, and NATA accredits laboratories to ISO/IEC 17025. Remediation standards include IICRC S900 (drug residues) and IICRC S520 (mould).
Reviewed for Test Australia by Dan Neil, Principal Occupational Hygienist and Chartered Chemist (MRACI CChem). Dan has 25 years in industrial chemistry and forensic science experience and has been a member of the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists for more than 13 years. Last reviewed .
Every assessment is scoped to the question being asked. Request a fee proposal and we will reply with the scope, fee and available dates.
