Surface Contamination Generated by “One-Pot” Methamphetamine Production

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alexander-Scott M ; Ciesielski AL ; Smith J ; Snawder, John E. ; Wagner JR
• Description:
  Methamphetamine production is the most common form of illicit drug manufacture in the United States. The "one-pot" method is the most prevalent methamphetamine synthesis method and is a modified Birch reduction, reducing pseudoephedrine with lithium and ammonia gas generated in situ. This research examined the amount of methamphetamine surface contamination generated by one-pot syntheses or "cooks", as well as the effectiveness of hosing with water as a simplified decontamination technique, to assess associated public health and environmental consequences. Concentrations of methamphetamine contamination were examined prior to production, after production, and after decontamination with water. Contamination was qualitatively field screened using lateral flow immunoassays and quantitatively assessed using a fluorescence covalent microbead immunosorbent assay. Following screening, 0 of 23 pre-cook samples, 29 of 41 post-cook samples, and 5 of 27 post-decontamination samples were positive. Quantitatively, one pre-cook sample had a methamphetamine concentration of 1.36 ng/100 cm2. Post-cook and post-decontamination samples had average methamphetamine concentrations of 26.50 +/- 63.83 and 6.22 +/- 12.17 ng/100 cm2, respectively. While all one-pot methamphetamine laboratories generate different amounts of waste, depending on the amount of precursors used and whether the reaction vessel remained uncompromised, this study examined the surface contamination generated by a popular one-pot method known to law enforcement. By understanding the amount of surface contamination generated by common methods of one-pot methamphetamine production and the effectiveness of decontamination techniques used to remediate them, health risks associated with these production sites can be better understood and environmental contamination can be mitigated. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Ammonia Ammonia Compounds Author Keywords: One-pot Chemical Synthesis Decontamination Drugs Effectiveness Research Ephedrine Gases Immunoassay Immunoassays Lithium Manufacturing Methamphetamine Surface Contamination

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• ISSN:
  1871-5532
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; Oklahoma ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 6
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  49-54
• Volume:
  28
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061809
• Citation:
  J Chem Health Saf 2021 Jan; 28(1):49-54
• Contact Point Address:
  Austin L. Ciesielski, School of Forensic Sciences, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, 1111 West 17th Street, Tulsa, OK 74107, United States
• Email:
  alciesielski54@gmail.com
• CAS Registry Number:
  Ephedrine (CAS RN 299-42-3) ; Lithium (CAS RN 7439-93-2) ; Methamphetamine (CAS RN 537-46-2)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Chemical Health and Safety
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:db950ec1215cbe701911eef61de941f9c58b67a2158fde2d00b5f36cb0598d2bb9dc1c9ad0b72abad2cfffc87335bda3f882829d15b24991f0db9e06a733dba5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225187/cdc_225187_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 535.02 KB ]