Apartments and meth

Well the dust has finally settled after the "bombshell" report by Sir Peter Gluckman, the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, into methamphetamine residue.  Sir Peter found no evidence of health risks from third-hand exposure to methamphetamine smoking residues on household surfaces.  (The Link to the report is below).

This is a complete revolution in thinking and is some much needed leadership on a matter that was developing a hysterical edge.   Full disclosure is always the best option when selling your apartment.  

When matters are not disclosed, people who live around the property may do it for you.  In December 2017 a young family found out that the property they had purchased was contaminated with meth, when an anonymous letter was delivered to the house.  Can you imagine how they felt? 

Full disclosure would have given all interested purchasers an awareness of the situation.  So that when the letter arrived, the buyer was already aware and there was no big surprise.

So how does this affect buying and selling apartments?  
Methamphetamine, meth or P is a powerful and addictive illegal drug. It can affect the health of people who live in a property where it has been produced or smoked in large quantities.  

• A property that tests below 15 micrograms per 100cm2 is considered safe to live in, with no adverse health effects.
• The report said there was little reason to test a property for methamphetamine contamination unless there was a strong suspicion that it had been used for methamphetamine production or there had been very heavy use.
• The report found no evidence of adverse health effects from third-hand exposure to methamphetamine smoke residue on household surfaces below 15 micrograms per 100cm2. 
• Methamphetamine that is inhaled or absorbed through the skin leaves the body within about a day.  Residue levels on household surfaces also diminish over time, so a person is not exposed to a constant dose every day.
• The level of 15 micrograms per 100cm2 still includes a large safety buffer.

• The report also found that there was little need to test for methamphetamine contamination unless there was strong suspicion or information from police or forensic experts that a property had been the site of production or heavy use of methamphetamine.
• If a vendor or prospective buyer wants a property to be tested, it is important to make them aware that the methamphetamine testing industry is not currently regulated in New Zealand. The report notes that composite field testing, where multiple samples taken throughout a property are combined into a single sample, can lead to false impressions of high levels of contamination. This type of testing is not recommended.
• Remediation back to 1.5 micrograms per 100cm2 is only required where the property was used for methamphetamine manufacture involving solvents and other toxic chemicals, as the methamphetamine reading is used as the marker for these other toxic chemicals. These chemicals are not usually used in methamphetamine production now. 
• Remediation to below 15 micrograms per 100cm2 is required for a property where only methamphetamine use took place.  
   
  What you need to know
• Apartment owners and real estate agents are required to fully disclose information that is relevant to a buyer. 
• Prospective buyers who remain worried about methamphetamine contamination should read the Gluckman Report (the link is below) and seek legal advice before signing a sale and purchase agreement. 
  
  

OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S CHIEF SCIENCE ADVISOR 
http://www.pmcsa.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/Methamphetamine-contamination-in-residential-properties.pdf