Dear Mr Murdoch

 

Thank you for your email requesting information under the OIA, relating to
our Report on methamphetamine residential contamination.

 

We acknowledge receipt of your email, and will reply in due course  -
within the required time period for OIA requests  - addressing your
specific queries.

 

Regards

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor

Phone: +64 (9) 923 6318 I Email: [1][Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor request email] I PMCSA website:
[2]www.pmcsa.org.nz

PO Box 108-117, Symonds Street, Auckland 1150, New Zealand

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Warren Murdoch <[FYI request #7966 email]>
Sent: Thursday, 31 May 2018 10:54 a.m.
To: OIA/LGOIMA requests at Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science
Advisor <[Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Research Papers

 

Dear Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor,

 

In respect of the report released by the Prime Minister's Chief Science
Advisor on 29/05/18 titled "Methamphetamine contamination in residential
properties: Exposures, risk levels, and interpretation of standards" I
request the following information pursuant to the Official Information
Act.

 

1. On page 6 of the report the following statement is made

 

"Former meth labs generally have relatively high levels of methamphetamine
residue on sampled surfaces (levels greater than 30 μg of methamphetamine
per 100 cm2 surface area are thought to be indicative of manufacturing
activity)."

 

Could you please provide me with the research that supports  the above
statement.

 

2. On page 6 of the report the following statement is made

 

"Yet, given the relatively low number of confirmed meth labs found, and
the very low average levels of methamphetamine found in most houses that
test positive for the drug, most New Zealanders will only ever encounter
very low levels of residue that are the result of methamphetamine use."

 

Could you please provide me with the research that supports the above
statement.

 

3. On page 6 of the report the following statement is made

 

"This threshold was chosen for reasons of practicality and did not
distinguish between former labs and premises where methamphetamine was
used."

 

Could you please provide me with the document that supports the above
statement.

 

4. On page 6 of the report the following statement is made

 

"ESR analysis suggests that most houses in New Zealand in which
methamphetamine can be detected have only low levels that are not
widespread throughout the house. This situation is likely to be caused by
methamphetamine use rather than manufacture. Less than 1% of the samples
in the ESR dataset tested above 30 μg/100 cm2, a level that is taken to
indicate a property was likely used for manufacture."

 

Could you please provide me with the research that supports the above
statement.

 

5. On page 8 of the report the following statement is made

 

"Taken together, these factors indicate that methamphetamine levels that
exceed the NZS 8510:2017 clean-up standard of 1.5 μg/100 cm2 should not be
regarded as signalling a health risk. Indeed, exposure to methamphetamine
levels below 15 μg/100 cm2 would be highly unlikely to give rise to any
adverse effects.

 

Could you please provide me with the research that supports the above
statement.

 

6. On page 8 of the report the following statement is made

 

"This means that, because the risk of encountering methamphetamine on
residential surfaces at levels that might cause harm is extremely low,
testing is not warranted in most cases."

 

Could you please provide me with the research that supports the above
statement

 

7. Your research analyst Dr Ann Bardsley has been quoted in the press
saying that she  spoke to Dr Jackie Wright for over an hour about her
research which involved a single situation where meth was produced, not a
home in which meth had only been smoked.

 

Could you please provide me with

- any notes that Dr Bardsley made in relation to that conversation and any
further conversations that she had with Dr Jackie Wright whether verbally
or in a written form.

- copies of any documents provided by Dr Wright to the Office of the Prime
Minister's Chief Science Advisor.

- information about the "single situation where meth was produced"

 

Kind Regards

 

Warren Murdoch

[3][email address]

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[4][FYI request #7966 email]

 

Is [5][Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor? If so,
please contact us using this form:

[6]https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

 

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[7]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

 

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page.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

References

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2. http://www.pmcsa.org.nz/
3. mailto:[email address]
4. mailto:[FYI request #7966 email]
5. mailto:[Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor request email]
6. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
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hide quoted sections

 Dear Mr Murdoch,

 

Please see below our answers to your questions. Please note that some of
the data you requested is from reports provided to our office by ESR (and
are not publicly available), so I have referred those questions to them.

 

Kind regards,

Anne

 

*******************************************

Anne Bardsley, PhD – Analyst

Office of the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor

85 Park Rd, Grafton, Auckland  1023  New Zealand

Phone 09 923 6346  //  [mobile number]

[1]www.pmcsa.org.nz

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Warren Murdoch <[FOI #7966 email]>
Sent: Thursday, 31 May 2018 10:54 a.m.
To: OIA/LGOIMA requests at Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science
Advisor <[Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Research Papers

 

Dear Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor,

 

In respect of the report released by the Prime Minister's Chief Science
Advisor on 29/05/18 titled "Methamphetamine contamination in residential
properties: Exposures, risk levels, and interpretation of standards" I
request the following information pursuant to the Official Information
Act.

 

1. On page 6 of the report the following statement is made

 

"Former meth labs generally have relatively high levels of methamphetamine
residue on sampled surfaces (levels greater than 30 μg of methamphetamine
per 100 cm2 surface area are thought to be indicative of manufacturing
activity)."

 

Could you please provide me with the research that supports  the above
statement.

 

Information on levels of methamphetamine typically signalling lab activity
vs smoking is derived from reports provided by ESR. This question has
therefore been referred to ESR.

 

 

2. On page 6 of the report the following statement is made

 

"Yet, given the relatively low number of confirmed meth labs found, and
the very low average levels of methamphetamine found in most houses that
test positive for the drug, most New Zealanders will only ever encounter
very low levels of residue that are the result of methamphetamine use."

 

Could you please provide me with the research that supports the above
statement.

 

The data on findings of meth labs among houses where manufacture and/or
use was suspected is derived from reports provided by ESR. This question
has therefore been referred to ESR.

 

3. On page 6 of the report the following statement is made

 

"This threshold was chosen for reasons of practicality and did not
distinguish between former labs and premises where methamphetamine was
used."

 

Could you please provide me with the document that supports the above
statement.

 

This is explained in the NZS 8510:2017 standard document, p. viii

(see NOTE re the single-level approach, specifically point (d))

[2]https://www.standards.govt.nz/assets/Pub...

 

 

4. On page 6 of the report the following statement is made

 

"ESR analysis suggests that most houses in New Zealand in which
methamphetamine can be detected have only low levels that are not
widespread throughout the house. This situation is likely to be caused by
methamphetamine use rather than manufacture. Less than 1% of the samples
in the ESR dataset tested above 30 μg/100 cm2, a level that is taken to
indicate a property was likely used for manufacture."

 

Could you please provide me with the research that supports the above
statement.

 

These data are derived from reports provided by ESR. This question has
therefore been referred to ESR.

 

5. On page 8 of the report the following statement is made

 

"Taken together, these factors indicate that methamphetamine levels that
exceed the NZS 8510:2017 clean-up standard of 1.5 μg/100 cm2 should not be
regarded as signalling a health risk. Indeed, exposure to methamphetamine
levels below 15 μg/100 cm2 would be highly unlikely to give rise to any
adverse effects.

 

Could you please provide me with the research that supports the above
statement.

 

The report itself answers this question. It is a conclusion from the sum
of the evidence presented in the report. We refer you to the report and
the references therein. Sections 4 and 5, and the Appendix, should be
helpful.

 

6. On page 8 of the report the following statement is made

 

"This means that, because the risk of encountering methamphetamine on
residential surfaces at levels that might cause harm is extremely low,
testing is not warranted in most cases."

 

Could you please provide me with the research that supports the above
statement

 

This is another summary statement. It is based on information provided in
the report, concerning:

o Calculations of exposures that would be necessary to elicit a
physiological effect
o Data on typical methamphetamine levels encountered in NZ houses
o Lack of evidence of effects linked to methamphetamine residues alone

 We refer you to the report for this information

 

7. Your research analyst Dr Ann Bardsley has been quoted in the press
saying that she  spoke to Dr Jackie Wright for over an hour about her
research which involved a single situation where meth was produced, not a
home in which meth had only been smoked.

 

Could you please provide me with

- any notes that Dr Bardsley made in relation to that conversation and any
further conversations that she had with Dr Jackie Wright whether verbally
or in a written form.

No written notes were taken during the conversation with Jackie Wright.

 

- copies of any documents provided by Dr Wright to the Office of the Prime
Minister's Chief Science Advisor.

The email correspondences, including all information provided by Jackie
Wright, have already been sent in response to a separate request, but are
included again as attachments to this email.

- information about the "single situation where meth was produced"

The first attachment sent by Jackie Wright is the case study about
exposures from living in a former meth lab. It is also attached separately
to this email.

 

 

Kind Regards

 

Warren Murdoch

[3][email address]

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[4][FOI #7966 email]

 

Is [5][Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor? If so,
please contact us using this form:

[6]https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[7]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

 

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.pmcsa.org.nz/
2. https://www.standards.govt.nz/assets/Pub...
3. mailto:[email address]
4. mailto:[FOI #7966 email]
5. mailto:[Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor request email]
6. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
7. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

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