“Regulations are needed to provide certainty around what to do when residential rental premises are contaminated with methamphetamine,” it said.
Dr Lucy Telfar-Barnard, senior research fellow with He Kāinga Oranga Housing and Health Research Programme at the University of Otago, said the history of meth testing was a “long and sad one”.
She said scientists were working with the best information available when it came to safe levels of residue - but it was not perfect.
“The thing that’s tricky is there are multiple layers to the issue around meth residue and contamination.”
The current New Zealand standard of 1.5mg per 100sq cm was the level to be reached when no “nasties” are present in the home after decontamination cleaning, she said.
But that standard was significantly lower than chief science adviser Sir Peter Gluckman’s recommended level of 15mg per 100sq cm - the guideline the Tenancy Tribunal has been following since 2018.
In his report on the issue, Gluckman found there was no evidence that third-hand exposure to meth smoking residue on household surfaces can negatively impact the health of humans or animals.
Miles Stratford, director at Safe and Healthy Home Solutions, said although the science was supported by the Government, lived experience of tenants and residents who have felt the impacts of contamination weren’t sufficiently considered.
He said there needed to be more clinical studies on individuals who have been exposed to contaminated properties, much like studies into the impacts of damp homes.
“At the end of the day what we are all about is reducing the negative effect of methamphetamine in communities,” he said.
Testing undertaken by Stratford’s company resulted in 40 per cent of properties showing traces of the drug, he said, adding that the figure had stayed consistent for 10 years.
The highest reading he had seen was 29,000mg after a clandestine lab at a commercial property exploded.
A recent tenancy tribunal decision highlighted the stress and financial burden landlords experience when their rental properties become contaminated.
The tribunal ordered two tenants to pay costs for the testing and cleaning of the Auckland rental after “high levels” of the drug were detected after they moved out.
Readings, described in the decision as “detailed”, recorded up to 29mg per 100sq cm.
While the actual costs for cleaning and decontamination surpassed $10,000, this was covered by insurance and the excess of $400 was awarded to the landlord.
But they also incurred uninsured losses while testing for the drug, and these claims were accepted by the tribunal.
Public consultation on the proposed Government regulations around testing in rentals closes on Monday.
