Water testing has shown that Adelaide and regional South Australia has the largest rate of ice usage in the country. This worrying fact does affect you, as the manufacture of drugs in domestic housing is very common. The reality is that rental accommodation makes shifting from house to house to assist in hiding drug labs from police very easy.
When looking at purchasing your next family home this is of concern as the residue from the manufacture of substances such as ice, stay with the house. It is absorbed into the painted house walls and ceilings as well as the grouted floor areas of the home. Carpets, curtains and other soft furnishings absorb the dangerous chemicals as does the timber framework in the roof areas, where the vents are dumping the poisonous chemical vapors. It also is commonly vented into the ceiling space through exhaust fans or holes, as the chemical smell is very strong.
When looking at a house to purchase, several give away signs may be present such as the following.
Vents cut into the ceiling space, through walls or windows.
Hooks or hanging rods hanging from the ceiling.
Unusual chemical smells or other items being used to mask the smell from you at the inspection. Often smelling like cat urine
Hazing on windows.
Burnt areas in the rear yard used to burn up chemical packaging that could not be placed in the bin.
Chemical waste staining around sink areas of the house, such as the bath, kitchen sink or laundry sink areas.
Chemical staining to bench tops, tiled areas and stove cook top areas.
Generally the houses are rental and often not well maintained as no trade repairs would have occurred, as it is primarily a production area for drugs not a family living environment.
If you see any of the signs as mentioned above combined with recently painted walls and steam cleaned carpets, alarm bells should be ringing in your head. If you seriously are still interested in the property, I suggest you have the contract written allowing for testing and the associated waiting time for the results written into your contract. If this scares off the seller or real estate agent, you should be concerned.
I would suggest talking to the owners of the neighboring houses, I often do when doing the inspection. Why would you want to be told after you bought the house about these issues?
To test for traces of drug related chemicals is a process that is time consuming and also a guessing game as only small swab areas are done due to the costs involved.
Companies such as Asbestos SA / Hazmat Australia can provide this service for you, Andrew Butler can be contacted on 0476943768.
When looking at purchasing your next family home this is of concern as the residue from the manufacture of substances such as ice, stay with the house. It is absorbed into the painted house walls and ceilings as well as the grouted floor areas of the home. Carpets, curtains and other soft furnishings absorb the dangerous chemicals as does the timber framework in the roof areas, where the vents are dumping the poisonous chemical vapors. It also is commonly vented into the ceiling space through exhaust fans or holes, as the chemical smell is very strong.
When looking at a house to purchase, several give away signs may be present such as the following.
Vents cut into the ceiling space, through walls or windows.
Hooks or hanging rods hanging from the ceiling.
Unusual chemical smells or other items being used to mask the smell from you at the inspection. Often smelling like cat urine
Hazing on windows.
Burnt areas in the rear yard used to burn up chemical packaging that could not be placed in the bin.
Chemical waste staining around sink areas of the house, such as the bath, kitchen sink or laundry sink areas.
Chemical staining to bench tops, tiled areas and stove cook top areas.
Generally the houses are rental and often not well maintained as no trade repairs would have occurred, as it is primarily a production area for drugs not a family living environment.
If you see any of the signs as mentioned above combined with recently painted walls and steam cleaned carpets, alarm bells should be ringing in your head. If you seriously are still interested in the property, I suggest you have the contract written allowing for testing and the associated waiting time for the results written into your contract. If this scares off the seller or real estate agent, you should be concerned.
I would suggest talking to the owners of the neighboring houses, I often do when doing the inspection. Why would you want to be told after you bought the house about these issues?
To test for traces of drug related chemicals is a process that is time consuming and also a guessing game as only small swab areas are done due to the costs involved.
Companies such as Asbestos SA / Hazmat Australia can provide this service for you, Andrew Butler can be contacted on 0476943768.
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