Every wipe screened and quantified for methamphetamine, amphetamine, MDMA, MDA, cocaine, benzoylecgonine, fentanyl, pseudoephedrine and ephedrine. The most complete picture of a property, vehicle or site from a single set of samples.
Comprehensive drug residue analysis examines a single surface wipe for nine illicit drugs, metabolites and precursors at once: methamphetamine, amphetamine, MDMA, MDA, cocaine, benzoylecgonine, fentanyl, pseudoephedrine and ephedrine. Each compound is quantified separately in µg/100 cm², giving one certificate that shows which drugs are present, at what level and what that pattern means for the site.
Most property analysis in Australia starts and ends with methamphetamine. That is the right choice when you know methamphetamine is the concern, but many sites arrive with no history at all. A deceased estate, a repossessed home, a long-term rental with several changes of tenant, a hire vehicle or a hospitality venue can all carry residue from more than one drug.
The comprehensive panel covers four groups of compounds. The amphetamine-type substances are methamphetamine, amphetamine, MDMA and MDA. The cocaine group is cocaine and benzoylecgonine, its main breakdown product. Fentanyl represents the synthetic opioids, where the concern is potency rather than volume. The precursors, pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, are the chemicals used in some methamphetamine manufacturing routes.
Every compound on the panel is extracted and measured from the same wipe. You do not need to collect separate wipes for each drug, and you do not need to guess which drug to analyse for before you have the data. One sampling visit produces a complete record, which matters when access to a site is limited, when a property has already been cleaned, or when results might later be disputed.
The panel is chosen by hygienists preparing a baseline assessment, remediators scoping a site with an unclear history, property managers who want certainty before a new tenancy begins, and insurers and lawyers who need a record that closes off every common compound rather than just one.
Different drugs leave residue in different ways, and that is what makes a multi-analyte result so informative. Methamphetamine is usually smoked, so it condenses across ceilings, walls and ventilation. MDMA is usually swallowed, so its residue tends to be concentrated where tablets and powders are handled. Cocaine powder is typically snorted and leaves hotspots on hard surfaces, while smoked crack cocaine spreads more like methamphetamine. Fentanyl can be significant at very small quantities.
Because each compound is quantified individually, the combination of results tells a story. Methamphetamine with amphetamine and no precursors is typical of a use site. Methamphetamine with pseudoephedrine or ephedrine points toward manufacture. Cocaine found alongside a higher proportion of benzoylecgonine suggests residue that has been in place for some time, because cocaine breaks down to benzoylecgonine in the presence of moisture. A fentanyl detection changes the safety conversation immediately, whatever else is present.
The molecules on the panel range from amphetamine, at 135.21 g/mol, to fentanyl at 336.48 g/mol, and from simple phenethylamines to the tropane ring system of cocaine. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine share the same formula and mass and differ only in the orientation of one bond. Separating and identifying compounds that similar is the difference between a laboratory result and a guess.
Every result is reported against the laboratory reporting limit. A compound that is not detected is shown as not detected, rather than simply left off the certificate. That distinction is what allows a clean result to be relied upon later.
Hygienists use the comprehensive panel for baseline assessments where the brief is to find out what is there, not to confirm a suspicion. Remediation companies use it when a site history is incomplete and a single-analyte result would leave them exposed if something else turned up during the job.
Property managers and owners choose it at the start of a new tenancy or after a problem tenancy, because a single certificate that covers every common compound is easier to rely on in a dispute. Insurers, loss adjusters and lawyers value it for the same reason. It answers the question that is always asked later: did you analyse for anything else?
Analysing one compound answers one question. When the history of a site is unknown, the questions that matter most are often the ones nobody thought to ask.
People who use one illicit drug frequently use others. A property with low methamphetamine can still carry significant cocaine or MDMA residue that a single-analyte result would never report.
Fentanyl is dangerous at far lower quantities than stimulants. Knowing it is present, or proving it is absent, affects the protective equipment crews wear and how the site is handled.
Precursor residue can reveal a former clandestine laboratory even where little finished methamphetamine remains, which moves the site into a far more serious category of remediation.
Tenancy disputes, insurance claims and sale negotiations can arise months after the samples were taken. A complete panel leaves no gap for anyone to question.
The comprehensive panel follows the same simple process as every analysis we perform, with nine results on each line of the certificate instead of one.
We recommend sample locations based on the site, its history and what the results will be used for.
NIOSH 9111 wipes from our kits are analysed for every compound on the panel, so there is no need for separate wipes.
Every sample is registered and tracked through our Digital Chain of Custody, from collection to certificate.
All nine compounds are reported for every wipe within 24 hours of receipt, or 12 hours on priority.
Methamphetamine results are compared directly with the 0.5 µg/100 cm² guideline. For compounds without a national residential guideline, results are reported in the same units so your hygienist or remediator can interpret them against the site, its intended use and any client or industry criteria.
For a decontamination company, a full panel result removes guesswork from the first site meeting. It shows which drugs need to be addressed, where they are concentrated and whether the job needs an environmental hygienist before work begins.
| Location | Assessment | Clearance |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen benchtop | METH 1.12, PSE 0.21 | METH 0.09 |
| Bathroom vanity | COC 0.44, BZE 0.31 | ND |
| Lounge ceiling | METH 0.86 | METH 0.11 |
| Bedroom bedside | MDMA 0.18 | ND |
| Garage bench | METH 2.40, EPH 0.35 | METH 0.22 |
Illustrative results only. ND means not detected at the laboratory reporting limit.
Once remediation is complete, the same locations are resampled. The before and after results, side by side, show exactly what was found and exactly what was achieved.
Good results start with good sampling. We recommend that samples are collected by a NATA accredited company, because the right method depends on the site and the analysis requirements. The steps below outline the NIOSH 9111 surface wipe method, the most common approach for drug residue on hard surfaces.
Tell us what you know about the site, and we will help you decide whether the full panel is the right choice.
Cover every room of concern, high-touch surfaces, airflow paths and any area where manufacture could have occurred.
A new pair of gloves for every sample prevents one location contaminating the next.
Firm overlapping strokes in one direction, fold inward, then repeat at right angles across the 100 cm² area.
Record the room, surface and area for each wipe in the Digital Chain of Custody.
Add one field blank per batch, seal the kit and send it to our Fairfield laboratory.
Straight answers to the questions we are asked most about comprehensive drug residue analysis. Can't find yours? Call the laboratory on 1300 522 115.
Choose the full panel when the history of a site is unknown, when more than one drug may have been used, when a single-analyte result has raised more questions, or when the results may later be relied on in a dispute or claim.
No. Every compound on the panel is measured from the same wipe, so a normal sampling plan is all you need.
Methamphetamine has a widely used 0.5 µg/100 cm² investigation level. Most other compounds do not have a national residential guideline, so results are interpreted by a hygienist or remediator against the site and its intended use.
Pseudoephedrine or ephedrine on surfaces can indicate that methamphetamine was manufactured on site. The site should be assessed by an environmental hygienist before remediation is scoped.
The same as a single analysis. Standard results are reported within 24 hours of receipt and priority results within 12 hours.
Yes, although many clients use it for the initial assessment and then clear only the compounds that were detected.
Laboratory quantification of methamphetamine residue on household and commercial surfaces, reported in µg/100 cm² against the 0.5 µg Australian.
Low level quantification of fentanyl residue on equipment, vehicles, workplaces and properties, so that organisations can assess exposure risk,.
Detection and quantification of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine on surfaces, revealing possible methamphetamine manufacture even where finished product.