Quantify what's left on the surfaces — before workers, tenants or the public re-enter.
Independent drug residue surface and air sampling for properties suspected of having been used as clandestine laboratories, cannabis grows or for heavy drug use. UKAS-laboratory analysis with results benchmarked against published clearance criteria, so re-occupation, refurbishment or insurance decisions can be made on data, not assumption.
- UK-wide since 2013
- Independent assessments
- ISO 9001 accredited
- Practical control advice
What this means for you
Evidence you can act on and defend.
Measured exposure evidence
Data suitable for HSE, insurers and audits.
Independent assessment
Occupational hygiene review of real exposure risk.
Practical control recommendations
Prioritised actions based on risk and operational practicality.
Compliance support
Evidence to support COSHH and internal governance.
Speak with a drug residue sampling specialist
0800 433 7914
sales@sysco-env.co.ukMon–Fri · 08:00–18:00 · Independent advice · Fixed-price scope
Typical response: same working day
What happens next
Tell us the property history and we'll scope a fixed-price survey.
We confirm the substance panel and number of sampling points, mobilise to site in appropriate PPE under a documented safe system of work, sample under chain of custody, and turn around an interpreted report — typically within 10 working days of fieldwork.
No unnecessary disruption. No generic paperwork. No unnecessary complexity.
Whether exposure is controlled
A clear yes or no, backed by measurement.
Where the highest risks are
Locations, tasks and roles ranked by exposure.
What actions matter most
A prioritised plan you can budget and schedule.
What you get
Four answers. One clear plan.
You need to know what your workforce is exposed to, whether your controls are effective, what actions matter most, and how to demonstrate control confidently.
That is exactly what we deliver.
Multi-substance panel
Methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin / 6-MAM, fentanyl and analogues, MDMA, ketamine, cannabis (THC) and common precursor chemicals — analysed by LC-MS/MS at a UKAS-accredited laboratory.
Benchmarked to published criteria
Results compared to recognised clearance values (e.g. US state methamphetamine criteria of 0.1 µg / 100 cm², NZ Standard NZS 8510, and equivalent international references where no UK statutory limit exists).
Defensible chain of custody
Pre-labelled sampling media, signed chain-of-custody documentation and traceable analysis suitable for insurer, landlord, local-authority and litigation use.
Safe-access sampling
Sysco occupational hygienists attend in appropriate PPE and follow a documented safe system of work for properties of unknown contamination status.
Why clients call
If any of this sounds familiar, you're in the right place.
- 01
An auditor is asking
HSE, your insurer or a client wants evidence — not assurances
We provide measured drug residue sampling data and a clear technical report that resolves the issue quickly.
- 02
Your team is worried
Operatives are reporting concerns or symptoms
We attend site, quantify workforce exposure and provide clear evidence of current risk levels.
- 03
You suspect a problem
You know there's a risk and you want measured data before it becomes a crisis
We quantify exposure, assess it against current limits and provide a prioritised corrective action plan.
What we answer for you
Three questions, settled.
- Where your people are exposed
- We map the tasks, areas and shifts where drug residue sampling matters, then sample what your team actually breathes — not a generic site average.
- Whether your controls are working
- An independent review of your LEV, ventilation, PPE and work practices — what is effective and what requires improvement.
- What you need to fix first
- A prioritised, costed action list — the smallest set of changes that gets you compliant and measurably safer.
How we work with you
From your first call to your action plan.
- 1
We listen first — your site, your concerns, your deadline.
- 2
We walk the workplace with your team to see exposure as it actually happens.
- 3
We sample on the people most at risk, using validated occupational hygiene methods for drug residue sampling.
- 4
We assess your existing controls honestly — what's working, what isn't.
- 5
You receive a clear technical report suitable for operational, compliance and regulatory readers.
- 6
We hand you a prioritised action plan you can budget, schedule and defend.
Typical survey outputs
What you receive at the end of the engagement.
- Sampling plan referenced to floor drawings
- Photographic record of every sample point
- UKAS-laboratory analytical results
- Comparison to recognised clearance criteria
- Above-/below-criterion calls per surface
- Recommended decontamination scope (where required)
- Post-decontamination clearance protocol
- Defensible chain-of-custody documentation
Client testimony
“Sysco surveyed a former cannabis-grow flat for us and gave us a clear, defensible report — what was contaminated, what wasn't, and what the strip-out contractor needed to plan for. Insurer accepted it without comment.”
— Asset manager
UK housing association
Typical environments we assess
Wherever drug residue sampling risk affects your people.
- Residential properties
- Care & supported housing
- Industrial units & lock-ups
- Refurbishment & strip-out
- Vehicles, plant & containers
- Suspected clandestine labs
Background
Drug residue sampling, in detail.
- When drug residue testing is needed
- What we sample and how
- How results are interpreted
- From results to decontamination scope
- Worker and occupant safety
When drug residue testing is needed
Drug residue testing is most often commissioned after a property has been identified — by police, neighbours, a tenant change-over inspection or insurer — as having been used for the manufacture, cultivation or heavy use of controlled drugs. Cannabis cultivation, methamphetamine 'cooking' and fentanyl handling are the highest-risk scenarios because residues persist on walls, ceilings, ventilation, soft furnishings and HVAC long after the activity has stopped.
Surveys are also requested before refurbishment or demolition of properties with a known history, to establish whether enhanced PPE, decontamination or controlled-waste disposal will be required by the contractor.
What we sample and how
Surface wipe samples are taken to a defined 100 cm² template using validated solvent-pre-wetted wipes, in a representative pattern across each room (typically walls, ceilings, floors, kitchen / wet-area surfaces, ventilation grilles and soft-furnishing samples). Bulk samples of suspect material and air samples in HVAC plenums are added where the property history indicates active manufacture or fentanyl handling.
Sampling locations are photographed and mapped to a floor plan. All media are sealed under chain of custody and dispatched same-day to the analytical laboratory.
How results are interpreted
There is no UK statutory clearance value for drug residues in occupied space. Sysco interprets results against the most widely used international benchmarks — most commonly the US methamphetamine clearance criterion of 0.1 µg / 100 cm² (adopted by most US states), the New Zealand Standard NZS 8510 'Testing and decontamination of methamphetamine-contaminated properties', and equivalent published values for cocaine, fentanyl and other substances where available.
Each result is reported with a clear above-/below-criterion call, an action recommendation, and contextual interpretation for the room and surface type sampled.
From results to decontamination scope
Where surfaces exceed the relevant criterion, Sysco can scope a decontamination programme — typically a combination of soft-furnishing removal, HVAC cleaning or replacement, surface wash-down with appropriate detergents, and sealing of porous substrates — and provide post-decontamination clearance sampling to confirm the property is below criterion before re-occupation.
We are independent of remediation contractors, so the clearance result is not generated by the same party paid to do the cleaning.
Worker and occupant safety
Properties of unknown contamination status are entered to a documented safe system of work — appropriate respiratory protection, disposable coveralls, gloves and decontamination on exit. For suspected fentanyl premises we follow enhanced precautions consistent with NIOSH and UK police-service guidance for first responders.
We will not enter premises where chemical hazards (precursor stocks, gas cylinders, booby-traps) have not been made safe by the appropriate authority.
Related services
Often assessed alongside drug residue sampling.
Asbestos surveys
Where refurbishment or strip-out follows a contaminated property, an HSG264 R&D asbestos survey may also be required.
Explore 02Mould & damp
Cannabis grows almost always leave a moisture and mould problem — investigate both together.
Explore 03Fire residue
Lab failures and fires in clandestine premises generate combustion-residue contamination on top of drug residues.
Explore 04Tape lift analysis
Microscopy of recovered surface deposits, useful where particulate residue is visible.
ExploreCommon questions
Drug Residue Sampling & Surface Testing — FAQs.
Quick answers to the questions we hear most from operations, HSE and procurement teams.
- Is drug residue testing legally required in the UK?
- There is no specific statutory requirement for drug residue testing of property in the UK. However, landlords, local authorities, insurers and employers all owe duties of care under the Health and Safety at Work Act, the Defective Premises Act and tenancy law. Testing is the defensible way to discharge those duties when a property has a known or suspected drug history.
- What's the most common substance you find?
- Cannabis (THC) residues from grow operations, followed by methamphetamine, cocaine and — increasingly — fentanyl and analogues. We can run a single-substance or a full multi-substance panel depending on the property history.
- What clearance value do you compare results to?
- We use the most widely recognised international benchmarks, principally the 0.1 µg / 100 cm² methamphetamine clearance value used across most US states and the New Zealand Standard NZS 8510. Each report explains the chosen benchmark and why.
- How long does a survey take?
- A standard residential survey is typically a half-day on site for a 1–3 bedroom property. Larger or more complex properties (former lab premises, commercial units) take a full day or longer.
- Can you arrange decontamination as well as testing?
- Sysco is independent of remediation contractors. We scope and specify the decontamination work, and return for post-decontamination clearance sampling — but the cleaning is carried out by a separate specialist remediation contractor of your choosing.
- Are samples handled as controlled substances?
- Wipe samples typically contain only trace residues and are handled as analytical samples, not controlled substances. Bulk samples of suspected drug material are handled in liaison with the police where appropriate.
- How long do results take?
- Standard turnaround is 5–10 working days from sample receipt at the laboratory. Urgent turnaround is available where re-occupation deadlines apply.
Speak with a drug residue sampling specialist
Suspected drug-contaminated property — and need to know before anyone re-enters?
Tell us
- property type and floor area,
- known or suspected substance(s),
- intended next use (re-let, refurb, demolition),
- and any insurer or local-authority deadline.
We will provide
- a clear scope,
- fixed quotation,
- proposed attendance strategy,
- and expected reporting timeframe.
Send us a brief
Outline the sites, tasks and timelines of concern — we'll reply with a clear scope and fixed quotation.