Claims one in five Victorian rental properties could be contaminated with meth

An expert has claimed up to one in five rental properties could be contaminated by ice in Victoria — but others say there’s more to the story.

Up to one in five rental homes in Victoria alone could contain dangerous meth residue, according to explosive claims from an industry expert.

Speaking with the Herald Sun recently, Ryan Matthews, the chief executive of testing company Meth Screen, said the problem was more widespread than most Aussies realised.

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He said skyrocketing ice use had led to more and more properties being contaminated by users — and estimated 20 per cent of rental properties and up to 15 per cent of owner-occupied homes in Victoria could contain unsafe levels of residue.

“The testing showed Victoria has the highest levels in the whole country,” Mr Matthews said.

According to reporter Nathan Mawby, there is now an increasing push to automatically include meth testing in building inspections in a bid to protect buyers from inadvertently purchasing “time bombs” that could end up costing tens of thousands of dollars to clean up if traces of ice are later detected.

AUSTRALIA’S METH CRISIS:

Crystal methamphetamine — also known as meth or ice — is a stimulant drug which can lead to “ice psychoses”, dependence and mental health problems.

According to the 2016 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 6.3 per cent — or 1.3 million Australians over the age of 14 — have used meth, with 1.4 per cent reporting recent use.

Earlier this year, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s fourth National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program report found more than eight tonnes of methamphetamine has been used in Australia between August 2016 and August 2017.

Its use is especially rampant in Adelaide and regional Western Australia.

An Picture: iStock

METH IN HOMES:

According to official Australian government guidelines, up to 0.5 micrograms of meth residue per 100sq cm in residential surfaces is considered safe.

Residue is invisible, and can only be detected by special testing methods.

High levels of meth residue have been linked to health issues such as breathing problems, nausea, vomiting and dizziness.

THE CONTROVERSY:

However, while many Aussies are concerned by potential meth exposure, it’s worth noting that New Zealand recently experienced a similar panic about ice residue in homes — which was ultimately debunked in a bombshell report from the country’s top scientist, Sir Peter Gluckman.

The report was commissioned by New Zealand’s Housing Minister Phil Twyford, who had been pushing for tighter regulation for the meth-testing and clean-up industry.

Mr Gluckman — the Prime Minister’s chief science adviser — found there was no proof to support the meth house myth.

“There’s absolutely no evidence in the medical literature anywhere in the world, of anybody being harmed by passive exposure to methamphetamine at any level,” Mr Gluckman claimed.

He also suggested there was “merit” in revising standards to 15 micrograms of meth residue per 100sq cm instead of 0.5.

“There has been a widely held perception that the presence of even low levels of meth residue in a house poses a health risk to occupants. As a result, remediation to eliminate contamination has been an extremely costly business for landlords and an upheaval for tenants being evicted at short notice,” Mr Twyford said, according to the New Zealand Herald.

“No one is underplaying the social damage caused by meth, but there should be a scientific basis for what are acceptable levels of meth … and remediation of houses should be proportional to the established health risks.”

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