Stats:

Occupants: Adult 56y/o male.
​
Duration of Time in House: 5 months.
​
Minimum Contamination level: 5.34 ug/10cm2
Maximum Contamination level: 45.09 ug/100cm2
Average Contamination level: 24 ug/100cm2

​Likely Source of Contamination was potential Manufacture and confirmed use.

This case study involved the rental of a home in a suburban area by a single male adult for a period of approximately 5 months. The property was rented through a rental agency, with no issues identified. The property was clean and tidy. Not long after moving in, a car arrived and the occupants informed him that the property had a drug history. Further discussions with neighbours also indicated that the property had a drug history. Enquiries with the property manager indicated that they knew the previous tenants were methamphetamine users. The real estate agency stated that they were only aware of methamphetamine use and no manufacture was suspected. However, manufacture could not be precluded. Subsequent enquiries with the agent indicated that the agent had previously found a knife taped to the back door, and during a previous inspection they found a table full of drugs and paraphernalia in the garage. On further inspection, the tenant found a packet of red powder hidden in the roof space and the property had a number of unusual water connections in the bathroom, laundry, and kitchen. There were also indications that the windows and some doors had been previously screwed or bolted shut. The tenant worked from home and became generally unwell. The property was tested for methamphetamine contamination, was found to be contaminated, and he moved out of the property without his personal 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 adult 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 when this property was found to be contaminated, this person moved out of the property without his personal possessions due to the level of contamination after only 5 months. 

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
56y/o male	80	7

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

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