Be Safe as Houses
How Meth Contamination Affects Vehicles
Most of us would not realise that vehicles can become contaminated with methamphetamine but they can and that can be dangerous for the new owner/occupier of the vehicle.
The contamination an affect you through breathing in the air, dust particles, having the aircon on with contamination in the unit. Touching contaminated surfaces and then transferring this to your mouth.
Once you are contaminated you run the risk of failing a random drug test and the police charging you with a drug driving offence.
Although the video below is a news item in the USA sadly the same is happening in Australia.
Vehicle contamination
How can it happen?
All vehicles are at risk of contamination.
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Cars
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Trucks
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Vans
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Motorhomes
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Caravans
Of course prime targets are vans as these give the Meth cooks room to move. they are mobile and can be moved on if anyone should begin to suspect what is happening.
The vehicle and its contents are often dumped once the cook is finished with it. However if used as a 'clan lab' they are very toxic and anyone entering the vehicle will be exposed to multiple chemicals and toxins.
If the vehicle contains left over chemicals it can be a very dangerous proposition to go anywhere near it and if discovered should be reported immediately to the police so that a team of experts can be brought in to clean it up and move it out of harms way.
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That's trucks and vans I hear you say but my car, my caravan, my motorhome. I just bought it so why would it be contaminated? It was detailed by the car yard before I bought it surely it is safe?
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Sadly NO it may not be. Drug dealers and cooks like to trade their vehicles regularly. Often they are sold on the internet as a private sale. Simply washing a car, even detailing it cannot remove the chemicals from the fabric of the car, the air vents, the air con system etc. If the user was smoking Meth in the car then it is very likely that the interior of the car is contaminated and a major task to clean it. If meth was cooked in the boot (yes they do that as well), then the problem is compounded by even more toxic chemicals within the structure of the car.
What can I do about it?
You can try remediation
Meth can destroy your car as well as affecting your driving and the health of your family, in addition you can fail random drug testing. In order to clean the toxic chemicals from a car, it must be stripped to the frame. Meth is oil-based, it penetrates soft furnishings and some plastic surfaces when cooked or smoked in the vehicle. The fumes from the Meth being smoked penetrate and contaminate upholstery, carpets and headliners. To clean a vehicle, it is stripped it of its seats, side panels, roof panel and carpet. All porous materials are removed. The interior is scrubbed and hosed down. Then dried. Then the stripped out items must be replaced. Costs can exceed $5,000.
As you can see cleaning Meth contaminated vehicles is extremely difficult and can be very expensive and you need to ask yourself “Is it worth it? Could you ever trust the car is actually clean?”
How do I avoid this?
You can test before you buy.
Testing with indicative test kits can be quick and easy. Also you can use Swab First kits which will indicate if there are other drugs in the car apart from Meth.
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The cost of test kits far outweighs the costs of not testing and ending up with a contaminated vehicle that is probably not insured for Meth contamination.
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