Stats:

Occupants: Single Adult.

Duration of Time in House: 3 years.
​
Minimum Contamination level: 0.69 ug/100cm2
Maximum Contamination level: >100 ug/100cm2
Average Contamination level: 25 ug/100cm2

​Likely Source of Contamination was suspected Manufacture

This case study involved the rental of a unit in a rural town by a single adult for 3 years. While not a public housing unit, the property was from a charity rental group. The occupant was a victim of domestic violence and needed urgent accommodation, so the property was rented sight unseen. The property was in poor condition and a neighbour indicated that the unit had been used to cook methamphetamine. The occupant became unwell, although she was not aware that exposure to contamination from former methamphetamine cooking could cause health issues until she saw a media article on the issue. Some of the health issues experienced related to mood, anxiety, and depression, and at times she thought she was going mad and attempted suicide. She asked the landlord about the presence of contamination, who initially offered to pay her and fix the outstanding repairs on the property, however this was not accepted, and the landlord ultimately tested the property. The property was found to be contaminated and the occupant moved out without any possessions. Many of the health effects were resolved when the tenant moved out of the property. 

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.  

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
44y/o female	<5	<5

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

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