Stats:

Occupants: Two Adults and two children being born at the property. A 39y/o female, 4y/o female, 2y/o male
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Duration of Time in House: 10 years.
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Minimum Contamination level: 0.38 ug/10cm2
Maximum Contamination level: 250 ug/100cm2
Average Contamination level: 18 ug/100cm2

​Likely Source of Contamination was potential Manufacture and potential Use.

This case study involved the purchase of a suburban home approximately 11 years ago by 2 adults, who then rented the property out for 1 year prior to moving in, after which they discovered the home had been used to grow marijuana. The cleaning of the property for damage caused by hydroponics was covered by the landlord’s insurance. The family moved in and lived at the property for 10 years, with both of their children being born while living at the property. They conducted a number of significant renovations on the property. The children had never been without health problems while living at the property and the owners became suspicious that there might be other drug contamination present. They also discovered that police were aware that the tenant was a drug offender (specifics unknown). The owners had their property tested, which showed that the property was contaminated, so they moved out without their possessions. They regularly visit the property to let the kids play outside and sometimes enter the property. They undertook further testing of the property and possessions, all of which were found to be contaminated. The highest level of contamination was on the air conditioning unit. It is not known whether the property had been used for manufacture at the time when the hydroponics was grown, however the contamination levels that remain in the home are considered too high to be resulting from former use alone. The owners tried to get their insurance company to cover the costs of the methamphetamine contamination from the earlier tenant, however this has been unsuccessful. Since being out of the property the children’s health and behaviour have significantly improved. 

Health Effects

18 of the 63 participants of this study reported health effects as indicated by levels of contamination reported in the blue 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.  

Of note is that the children had never been without health problems while living at the property.  Once testing showed that the property was contaminated, they moved out without their possessions. Since being out of the property the children’s health and behaviour have significantly improved. 

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
39y/o female	50	<5
​4y/o female	200	15
​​2y/o male	​980	​50

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

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