Stats:

Occupants: 40y/o female, 38y/o male, 11y/o female, 8 y/o male, 7 y/o male.

Duration of Time in House: 1.5 years
​
Minimum contamination level: 11μg/100cm2 
Maximum contamination level: 107μg/100cm2
Average Contamination level: 30.7μg/100cm2

​Likely Source of Contamination was Manufacture

This case study related to a rural property. Police had seized chemicals and manufacturing equipment from the property and notified the local council of the seizure. The owner of the property at that time was arrested and charged. The local council issued a notice to the owner requiring assessment and remediation, however the notice was not acted on and was not followed up by the council. The property was subsequently sold to a family with 2 adults and 3 children. The new owners were notified by the local council approximately 8 months after moving in that the property was formerly used to manufacture methamphetamine and there was an outstanding notice. The local council undertook an assessment of contamination that took another 10 months, after which time it was clear that the property was contaminated and the family moved out, leaving all possessions behind. The family lived in the contaminated property for approximately 18 months. In relation to this case study, additional testing of the property has been undertaken by the researcher over a number of years, in addition to the data provided by the local council.

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 three children and two adults residing in this contaminated property may have suffered: Behavioural Issues, Heachaches, Sleep Disruption, Immune related disorder, Respiratory Issues, Eye issues and Skin irritation.  

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
40y/o female	17	<5
38y/o male	5	<5
11y/o female	50	<5
8 y/o male	330	16
7 y/o male	460	20

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

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