Stats:

Occupants: Two Adults and two children, incl a 47y/o female and a 13y/o male.
​
Duration of Time in House: 8 months.
​
Minimum Contamination level: 0.32 ug/10cm2
Maximum Contamination level: 9.9 ug/100cm2
Average Contamination level: 4.3 ug/100cm2

​Likely Source of Contamination was Manufacture.

This case study involved the rental of a suburban home by a family of 2 adults and 2 children for a period of approximately 8 months. The family had moved from another city and the availability of rental properties was limited. They rented the property without an inspection, but were told by the estate agency that the property was clean and tidy, which was found not to be the case. The property was in poor condition and messy when they moved in. After they had moved in a sacked staff member from the real estate agency approached them and told them the previous tenant at their rental property was evicted for methamphetamine manufacture, and that the estate agency knew this was the case at the time the property was rented. No cleaning or remediation had been undertaken on the property. All members of the family were unwell in the property, with the mother and younger son more significantly affected. In particular, the mother was hospitalised three times due to severe headaches. Once the tenants were aware of the former drug history of the property, they had the property tested and it was found to be contaminated. They moved out without their possessions.

Health Effects

23 of the 63 participants of this study reported health effects as indicated by levels of contamination reported in the purple section of the below chart. This means that the persons residing in this contaminated property may have suffered: Behavioural Issues, Heachaches, Sleep Disruption, Immune related disorder, Respiratory Issues, Eye issues and Skin irritation.  

Note that all family members fell ill whilst residing in the property, with the mother and younger son more so, with the mother was hospitalised three times due to severe headaches. When the property was tested and found to be contaminated, they moved out without their possessions.

The study states; "In terms of health effects reported by participants exposed in contaminated properties, these were consistently reported regardless of the source of the methamphetamine contamination. The only key difference in the health effects reported was a higher prevalence of eye and respiratory issues in properties known or suspected to have been contaminated from manufacture."

Hair Analysis Results:

The below table shows the results by person of the amount of methamphetamines and amphetamines located in hair analysis. These levels are from environmental contamination exposure only and not from direct methamphetamine use (Drug Use) or methamphetamine manufacture.

The study states "The analysis of hair samples collected from participants recently exposed in contaminated properties found methamphetamine above the quantitation limit (5 pg/mg) in 20 of the 36 participants sampled."

"For adults, methamphetamine was detected in hair in case studies where the mean environmental methamphetamine concentration was in the range 7.8 to 49 μg/100 cm2, which predominantly involved properties where clandestine drug manufacture was known or suspected to have occurred."

"The hair analysis data showed higher levels of exposure occurring in younger children, which is consistent with the expectation that younger children will have higher levels of exposures due to more common floor play, poorer washing of hands, and mouthing of hands and objects. In addition, young children have more porous hair than adults, which would make the hair more susceptible to environmental contamination."

"In relation to children, methamphetamine was detected in hair for case studies where the mean environmental methamphetamine concentration was in the range of 2.8 to 30.7 μg/100 cm2. The concentration of methamphetamine detected in the hair of children ranged from 6 to 980 pg/mg. This included properties contaminated as a result of both use and manufacture."

"The detection of methamphetamine, and in some cases amphetamine, in the analysis of hair samples from exposed participants...indicates that for some situations environmental exposure was sufficient to be able to be detected in the hair. This is not the case for all situations, as there were a number of participants for whom analysis of a hair sample could not detect methamphetamine." 

Person	Methamphetamine	Amphetamine
47y/o female	<5	<5
​13y/o male	7	<5

Click this link to read the Research:  Environmental Methamphetamine Exposures and Health Effects in 25 Case Studies.

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