Engineered to specifically fight meth, it has undergone eight months of testing at the accredited Hill Laboratories and passed the latest NZS8510-2017 standards.
Described as "non-hazardous, non-corrosive, completely bio-degradable, environmentally-friendly and safe for people, pets, and structures", the product is sprayed on contaminated surfaces – walls, floors, ceilings – by trained staff wearing full boiler suits and personal protective equipment (PPE). It soon starts to foam and attacks the compound that comprises the deadly drug. After a minimum of four hours, it's washed off by water and the process is repeated twice more.
The simple process results in properties being quickly re-tenanted, Stewart said, saving the landowners money and removing the stigma of owning a meth-contaminated house.
Members of the public can buy 30I Apple Environmental METH Remover kits from NZ Drug Decon and Remediation Specialists LTD for $725. The costs of getting professionals to clean a house vary depending on the property's size and how badly it is contaminated.
"We haven't had a job where it's failed yet. We definitely know it's a good product," said Stewart, 36.
Their aim to have licensees around New Zealand and already have Culum Retallick, former Chiefs, Highlanders, Blues and Rebels Super Rugby player and cousin of All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick, operating in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato.
They get referrals from property managers, estate agents, private landlords, social housing providers, and insurers.
Over the past 18 months, only 5 per cent of homes they've cleaned had been used for the manufacture of P.
Mostly, the meth has come from tenants smoking inside the house. Tests inside heat pumps or ducting systems usually register much higher levels.
Until now, houses in New Zealand have only officially been able to be cleaned using sugar soap, which Stewart says has its limitations.
While there has been widespread discussion about raising the testing standard above the current level of 1.5mcg/100cm2, Scott said they will work to whatever standard is introduced.
"You just hope that they get it right," Scott said.
"Most houses we deal with have readings over 15 anyway. Our biggest concern following the [Gluckman] report is the houses won't be tested."
The Gluckman report led to suggestions that thousands of homes in New Zealand had been needlessly tested for P and cleaned at the cost of millions of dollars, with some demolished or left empty.
NZ Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell said the panic around exposure to third-hand methamphetamine had grown to exceed actual risks.
But no matter what level is eventually deemed acceptable, Stewart says that for many homeowners, they don't want any association with methamphetamine or any of its perceived health risks.
"People just want their homes decontaminated, regardless of the level that's found," said Stewart.
"P is still illegal in New Zealand and for property owners, it's their hard-earned money that is at stake and, rightly or wrongly, they don't want to risk the health of their family or their tenants or their livelihoods in any way."
