Distinguishing between contamination due to smoking methamphetamine and synthesising methamphetamine

Project description

Our group has a range of research projects centred around various aspects of the increasing ‘scourge’ of methamphetamine. One question that is often asked is ‘can we tell if the contamination in a house is due to smoking or synthesising methamphetamine or both?’  Previous honours and PhD projects have analysed, starting materials, by-products and a range of methamphetamines. A recent paper (1) presented results that correlated higher concentration of methamphetamine with synthesis and lower concentrations with smoking. This project, a collaboration with Associate Professor Kirstin Ross and Environmental Health, will consider identification of chemicals that would enable us to distinguish between contamination due to synthesis (by-products and precursors) and due to smoking (pyrolysis products). 1)    Matthew Russell, Gerhard Wevers, Ben Bogun, Erina Mayo, Megan McKinnel, Janine Watson, Establishing likelihood ratios for evaluating opposing propositions concerning the activity causing methamphetamine contamination: Smoking or manufacture?, Forensic Science International, Volume 326, 2021, 110939, ISSN 0379-0738, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110939.

Co-supervisors

Associate Professor Kirstin Ross

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