19 November 2020
Bryan Stralow
By email: [FYI request #14095 email]
Dear Mr Stralow
Official Information Act request: Airborne capabilities of methamphetamine,
clandestine laboratories
On 8 November 2020, you sent a request for information under the Official Information Act
1982 to ESR as follows:
“1) Please explain the following statement taken from the ESR website – “It is thought
that methamphetamine is released as an aerosol during the manufacturing process.”
2) Please confirm whether ESR have undertaken any in-house testing in order to
ascertain and verify the above statement”
Our response to your request:
1) This statement is evidenced from the high levels of methamphetamine detected at
clandestine laboratories and is supported by the references relating to
airborne/aerosolized methamphetamine produced through manufacture1.
2) No, ESR staff have not carried out in-house testing to ascertain the form in which
methamphetamine is deposited onto surfaces in the surrounding area of a
methamphetamine manufacturing process or methamphetamine smoking process.
ESR staff have carried out research relating to the level, nature and spread of
methamphetamine contamination within an environment where methamphetamine
manufacture and/or methamphetamine use (ie - smoking) has been carried out. This
has involved the collection and analysis of swabs taken from the surrounding areas
to the aforementioned processes, however, it has not included airborne sampling or
testing to determine the form in which the methamphetamine is carried.
1 Martyny, J. W., Arbuckle, S. L., McCammon Jr, C. S., Esswein, E. J., Erb, N., & Van Dyke, M.
(2007). Chemical concentrations and contamination associated with clandestine methamphetamine
laboratories.
Journal of Chemical Health & Safety 14(4), 40-52.
Raynor, P. C. & Carmody, T. (2006). Final Report: Meth Labs Sampling: Air and HVAC Systems.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency CFMS No. A-79651.
McKenzie, E. J., Miskelly, G. M., & Butler, P. (2013). Detection of methamphetamine in indoor air
using dynamic solid phase microextraction: a supplementary method to surface wipe sampling.
Analytical Methods 5, 5418-5424.
Nair, M., & Miskelly, G. M. (2019). Determination of airborne methamphetamine via capillary
microextraction of volatiles (CMV) with on-sorbent derivatisation using o-pentafluorobenzyl
chloroformate.
Forensic Chemistry, 14.
Martyny, J. W., Arbuckle, S. L., McCammon Jr, C. S., Erb, N., & Van Dyke, M. (2008).
Methamphetamine contamination on environmental surfaces caused by simulated smoking of
methamphetamine.
Journal of Chemical Health & Safety, 15(5), 25-31.
Your right to seek a review You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz
or freephone 0800 802 602.
Thank you for your request.
Yours sincerely
John Bone
General Manager Forensic
ESR