Adverse Health Effects Associated with Living in a Former Methamphetamine Drug Laboratory — Victoria, Australia, 2015

Wright, Jackie; Kenneally, Michaela; Edwards, John W.; Walker, G. Stewart

doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6552a3

Cited by 15 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…For example, hair contamination occurred in a family relocating to a house in rural Victoria, Australia, which had previously been used as a clandestine laboratory for the manufacture of methamphetamine (MA). 14 Notably, their hair samples taken one week after vacating the premises were still positive for MA. Illicit drugs possess great potential for the external contamination of hair due to their availability as powders, and how they are handled and used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

A systematic investigation of forensic hair decontamination procedures and their limitations

Mantinieks

Wright

Rago

et al. 2019

Drug Testing and Analysis

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The effectiveness of decontamination procedures used for the removal of external drug contamination in forensic hair analysis is an ongoing debate. This investigation evaluated wash methods complying with Society of Hair Testing (SoHT) guidelines and their capacity to remove cocaine (COC) and methamphetamine (MA) from artificially contaminated hair. The most effective decontamination method was determined using a systematic approach, involving (1) an initial washing solvent screen, (2) optimization of wash duration, (3) comparison of sequential wash methods, and (4) reanalysis of clinical hair samples. For analysis, hair was subjected to micro‐pulverized methanolic extraction prior to quantitation by ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography−tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC−MS/MS). Methanol (MeOH) and 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 6) were the most effective organic and aqueous solvents, respectively, removing 28%–38% of COC and 16%–31% of MA. Wash durations longer than 30–60 minutes did not remove additional amounts, and a more efficient sequential wash method was subsequently developed. Despite this, the interpretation of reportable results relative to the SoHT cut‐off levels was unchanged for most clinical hair samples reanalyzed after washing by agitation for 30 minutes with MeOH. These findings highlight the inability of decontamination solvents to completely remove external COC and MA contamination from hair, including wash methods adhering to SoHT guidelines.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

A systematic investigation of forensic hair decontamination procedures and their limitations

Mantinieks

Wright

Rago

et al. 2019

Drug Testing and Analysis

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“…Of particular concern is the presence of methamphetamine residues within the property, which can remain for a long period of time if the property is not remediated. People working or living in these contaminated properties are exposed to these methamphetamine residues, and significant adverse health effects have been reported [1,3]. A number of countries and jurisdictions have developed health-risk-based guidelines for the assessment and remediation of methamphetamine residues in properties [4][5][6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Methamphetamine has been detected in air during controlled manufacture [9][10][11][12][13][14] as this is the key mechanism for residues to be released during manufacture and spread throughout a premises. During different phases of manufacture, methamphetamine has been detected in air at levels up to 42 µg/m 3 during the cook phase, 5500 µg/m 3 during salting out, 5500 µg/m 3 immediately post cook and 210 µg/m 3 24-h post manufacture for indoor cooking [9][10][11][12][13][14]. When methamphetamine is smoked, levels between 300 and 1600 µg/m 3 have been reported [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current practices underestimate environmental exposures to methamphetamine: inhalation exposures are important

Wright

Symons²,

Angell³

et al. 2020

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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Current practice for determining the exposure to methamphetamine in contaminated homes relies on the analysis of surface wipe sample to address direct contact exposures. The movement of methamphetamine into the air phase, and the potential for inhalation exposures to occur within residential homes contaminated from former clandestine manufacture or smoking of methamphetamine has been generally poorly characterised and understood. All available risk-based guidelines for determining safe levels of methamphetamine in residential properties do not include any consideration of the inhalation pathway as an exposure route. This study showed that methamphetamine can readily move from contaminated materials in a home into the air phase. This movement of methamphetamine into the air phase provides both an exposure pathway and a mechanism for the transfer of methamphetamine throughout a property. The inhalation exposure pathway has the potential to result in significant intake of methamphetamine, adding to dermal absorption and ingestion exposure routes. Guidelines that are established for the assessment of methamphetamine contaminated properties that ignore inhalation exposures can significantly underestimate exposure and result in guidelines that are not adequately protective of health. This study also demonstrates that sampling methamphetamine in air can be undertaken using commercially available sorption tubes and analytical methods.

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“…Given potential hazards at clandestine laboratories, there is a need for the portable contactless screening and identification of hazardous VOCs [8][9][10]. The onsite detection of hazardous VOCs can assist in hazard mitigation for investigators and the public, as well as providing rapid onsite forensic intelligence to help progress investigations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of a Microfluidic Gas-to-Liquid Interface for Extraction of Target Amphetamines and Precursors from Air Samples

et al. 2020

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The investigation of clandestine laboratories poses serious hazards for first responders, emergency services, investigators and the surrounding public due to the risk of exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) used in the manufacture of illicit substances. A novel gas sampling interface using open microfluidic channels that enables the extraction of VOCs out of the gas phase and into a liquid, where it can be analysed by conventional detection systems, has recently been developed. This paper investigates the efficiency and effectiveness of such a gas-to-liquid (GTL) extraction system for the extraction of amphetamine-type substances (ATS) and their precursors from the vapour phase. The GTL interface was evaluated across a range of different ATS and their precursors (methamphetamine, dimethylamphetamine, N-formylmethamphetamine, benzaldehyde, phenyl-2-propanone, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine) at concentrations ranging between 10 and 32 mg m−3. These gas samples were produced by a gas generation system directly in Tedlar® bags and gas canisters for controlled volume sampling. When using gas sampled from Tedlar® bags, four of the seven compounds were able to be extracted by the GTL interface, with the majority of the VOCs having extraction yields between 0.005% and 4.5%, in line with the results from an initial study. When samples were taken from gas canisters, only benzaldehyde was able to be detected, with extraction efficiencies between 0.2% and 0.4%. A custom-built mount for the GTL interface helped to automate the extraction process, with the aim of increasing extraction efficiency or reducing variability. However, the extraction efficiency did not improve when using this accessory, but the procedure did become more efficient. The results from the study indicated that the GTL interface could be employed for the collection of gaseous ATS and incorporated into mobile detection systems for onsite collection and analysis of volatile compounds related to ATS manufacture.

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Adverse Health Effects Associated with Living in a Former Methamphetamine Drug Laboratory — Victoria, Australia, 2015

Cited by 15 publications

References 9 publications

A systematic investigation of forensic hair decontamination procedures and their limitations

A systematic investigation of forensic hair decontamination procedures and their limitations

Current practices underestimate environmental exposures to methamphetamine: inhalation exposures are important

Application of a Microfluidic Gas-to-Liquid Interface for Extraction of Target Amphetamines and Precursors from Air Samples

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