After decontamination procedures are completed, the decontamination specialist or owner of the property shall take and test confirmation samples to verify that concentrations are below the decontamination standards prior to the submittal of a final report. Samples are not required if a contaminated surface has been removed from the property and replaced with new material, unless there is evidence that the area has been re-contaminated. All decontaminated areas and materials, areas not highly suggestive of contamination, and surfaces that have not been removed shall be sampled for compliance with the standards in Table 1.
If the decontamination standards in Table 1 are not achieved, the decontamination specialist or owner shall perform additional decontamination and then re-sample these areas or materials to confirm the surface or area meets the decontamination standards specified in Table 1. This shall be repeated until all areas of the property are thoroughly decontaminated.
TABLE 1 |
| COMPOUND |
DECONTAMINATION STANDARD |
| Red Phosphorus |
Removal of stained material or cleaned as specified in this rule such that there is no remaining visible residue. |
| Iodine Crystals |
Removal of stained material or cleaned as specified in this rule such that there is no remaining visible residue. |
| Methamphetamine |
Less than or equal to 0.1 microgram Methamphetamine per 100 square centimeters |
| Ephedrine |
Less than or equal to 0.1 microgram Ephedrine per 100 square centimeters |
|
Pseudoephedrine |
Less than or equal to 0.1 microgram Pseudoephedrine per 100 square centimeters |
| VOCs in Air |
Less than or equal to 1 ppm |
| Corrosives |
Surface pH between 6 and 8 |
| Ecstasy |
Less than or equal to 0.1 microgram Ecstasy per 100 square centimeters |
The decontamination specialist or owner of record shall also conduct sampling and testing for lead and mercury unless there is clear evidence that these metals were not used in the generation of illegal drugs. If lead and/or mercury contamination is present, the decontamination specialist or owner shall decontaminate the affected areas and re-sample until they meet the decontamination standards in Table 2.
TABLE 2 |
| COMPOUND |
DECONTAMINATION STANDARD |
| Lead |
Less than or equal to 4.3 micrograms Lead per 100 square centimeters |
| Mercury |
Less than or equal to 3.0 micrograms Mercury per cubic meter of air |
The following is a list of the confirmation sampling procedures:
- All sample locations shall be photographed.
- All samples shall be obtained from areas representative of the materials or surfaces being tested. Samples shall be collected from materials or surfaces using wipe samples and shall be biased toward areas where contamination is suspected, has been confirmed by previous sampling, or was known to be present prior to decontamination.
- All samples shall be obtained, preserved, handled, and maintained under chain-of-custody protocol in accordance with industry standards for the types of samples and analytical testing to be conducted.
- The individual conducting the sampling shall wear a new pair of gloves to obtain each sample. Gloves shall be disposed of as waste.
- All reusable sampling equipment shall be decontaminated prior to each sampling event.
- All testing equipment shall be properly equipped and calibrated for the types of compounds to be analyzed.
- A sterile 3" x 3" 12-ply piece of cotton gauze shall be used for all wipe sampling. The cotton gauze shall be wetted with analytical grade methanol for the wipe sampling. The cotton gauze shall be blotted or wiped on the surface to be sampled at least five times in two perpendicular directions within each sampling area.
- After sampling, each wipe sample shall be placed in a new clean sample container and capped tightly. Recommended containers are 50-mL polypropylene disposable centrifuge tubes or 40-mL volatile organic analyte (VOA) glass vials. Plastic bags shall not be used. The sample container shall be properly labeled with the site or project identification number, date, time, and actual sample location. Additional information may be added as needed. The sample container shall be refrigerated until delivered to an analytical laboratory.
- Based on the type of illegal drug operations that occurred on the property, each sample shall be analyzed for methamphetamine, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and ecstasy using NIOSH Manual of Analytical Method (NMAM) 9106 (or the proposed 9106 method if it is not yet approved) or an equivalent method approved by the Utah Department of Health.
The following describes how to perform confirmation sampling from areas that are highly suggestive of contamination:
- Samples collected from areas highly suggestive of contamination shall be by grab samples that are not combined with other samples. A "grab sample" is defined as one sample collected from a single, defined area or media at a given time and location.
- Three 10 cm. x 10 cm. areas (100 square centimeters) shall be sampled with wipes from each room of the property where illegal drug operations occurred, hazardous materials were stored and where staining or contamination are or were present. The three samples shall be obtained from a nonporous section of the floor, one wall, and the ceiling in each room or any other location where contamination is suspected.
- Three 10 cm. x 10 cm. areas (100 square centimeters) shall be wipe sampled from different areas of the ventilation system, unless the system serves more than one unit or structure. If the system serves more than one unit or structure, samples shall be collected from a representative distribution of the system as well as the corresponding areas that it serves until the areas of contamination have been defined, decontaminated, and shown to be below the decontamination standards established in this rule.
- If there is a kitchen, three 10 cm. x 10 cm. areas (100 square centimeters) shall be wipe sampled from the surfaces most likely to be contaminated including the counter top, sink, or stove top, and from the floor in front of the stove top or any other location where contamination is suspected. Chemical reactions may have been heated on stoves, disposed of in sinks, and counter tops utilized.
- If there is a bathroom, three 10 cm. x 10 cm. areas (100 square centimeters) shall be wipe sampled from the surfaces most likely to be contaminated including the counter top, sink, toilet, or the shower/bath tub and any other location where contamination is suspected. Contaminants and waste chemicals may have been disposed of down sink, toilet and shower drains.
- If there are any appliances, one 10 cm. x 10 cm. area (100 square centimeters) shall be wipe sampled from the exposed portion of each appliance. If multiple appliances are present, each wipe sample may be a composite of up to three 100 square centimeter areas on three separate appliances, provided that the surfaces most likely to be contaminated are tested.
- If there is any other enclosed space where illegal drug operations occurred, hazardous materials were stored, or where staining or contamination is present, three 10 cm. x 10 cm. areas (100 square centimeters) shall be wipe sampled from the surfaces most likely to be contaminated.
- Each wipe sample shall be placed in a new clean sample container and capped tightly. Recommended containers are 50-mL polypropylene disposable centrifuge tubes or 40-mL VOA glass vials. Plastic bags shall not be used.
For areas that are not areas highly suggestive of contamination confirmation samples shall be collected in a manner consistent with the confirmation sampling described in Section R392-600-6(5). The samples may be combined together to form one sample per room or sampling area.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) sampling and testing procedures:
- A properly calibrated PID or FID capable of detecting VOCs shall be used for testing. The background concentration of VOCs shall be obtained by testing three exterior areas outside the areas highly suggestive of contamination and in areas with no known or suspected sources of VOCs. All VOC readings shall be recorded for each sample location. The locations were readings were taken should also be recorded.
- At least three locations that are in areas highly suggestive of contamination shall be tested for VOC readings. The testing equipment probe shall be held in the sample location for at least 30 seconds to obtain a reading.
- All accessible plumbing traps shall be tested for VOCs by holding the testing equipment probe in the plumbing pipe above the trap for at least 60 seconds.
Testing procedures for corrosives:
- Surface pH measurements shall be made using deionized water and pH test strips with a visual indication for a pH between 6 and 8. The pH reading shall be recorded for each sample location.
- For horizontal surfaces, deionized water shall be applied to the surface and allowed to stand for at least three minutes. The pH test strip shall then be placed in the water for a minimum of 30 seconds and read.
- For vertical surfaces, a cotton gauze, 3" x 3" 12-ply, from sterile packages, shall be wetted with deionized water and wiped over a 10 cm. x 10 cm. area at least five times in two perpendicular directions. The cotton gauze shall then be placed into a clean sample container and covered with clean deionized water. The cotton gauze and water shall stand in the container for at least three minutes prior to testing. The pH test strip shall then be placed in the water for a minimum of 30 seconds and read.
- pH testing shall be conducted on at least three locations in each room within areas that are highly suggestive of contamination.
Lead Sampling and Testing Procedures:
- Unless there is clear evidence that lead was not used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine or ecstasy at the illegal drug operations, lead sampling shall be conducted as follows:
(i) Cotton gauze, 3" x 3" 12-ply, from sterile packages shall be used for wipe sampling. The cotton gauze shall be wetted with analytical grade 3% nanograde nitric acid for the wipe sampling. The cotton gauze shall be blotted or wiped at least five times in two perpendicular directions within each sampling area.
(ii) Three 10 cm. x 10 cm. areas (100 square centimeters) shall be sampled in each room within the areas highly suggestive of contamination.
(iii) After sampling, each wipe sample shall be placed in a new clean sample container and capped tightly. The sample container shall be properly labeled with at least the site or project identification number, date, time, and actual sample location. The sample container shall be delivered to an analytical laboratory that uses EPA Method 6010B or an equivalent method approved by the Utah Department of Health.
- The samples shall be analyzed for lead using EPA Method 6010B or equivalent.
Mercury Sampling and Testing Procedures:
- A properly calibrated mercury vapor analyzer shall be used for evaluating the decontaminated areas for the presence of mercury. All mercury readings shall be recorded for each sample location.
- At least three locations in each room within the areas highly suggestive of contamination shall be tested for mercury vapor readings. The testing equipment probe shall be held in the sample location for at least 30 seconds to obtain a reading.
- All accessible plumbing traps shall be tested for mercury by holding the testing equipment probe in the plumbing pipe above the trap for at least 60 seconds.
Septic tank sampling and testing procedures:
- All sampling and testing shall be performed in accordance with current EPA sampling and testing protocol.
- The liquid in the septic tank shall be sampled with a new clean bailer or similar equipment.
- The liquid shall be decanted or poured with minimal turbulence into three new Volatile Organic Analyte (VOA) vials properly prepared by the analytical laboratory.
- The VOA vials shall be filled so that there are no air bubbles in the sealed container. If air bubbles are present, the vial must be emptied and refilled.
(i) The sample vials shall be properly labeled with at least the date, time, and sample location.
(ii) The sample vials shall be refrigerated until delivered to the analytical laboratory.
(iii) The sample shall be analyzed using EPA Method 8260 or equivalent.
The local health department may also conduct confirmation sampling after decontamination is completed and after the final report is submitted to verify that the property has been decontaminated to the standards outlined in Tables 1 and 2 of this rule.
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