Cold, damp houses worse than meth in houses, says DHB boss

Cold, damp houses have a more dangerous effect on your health than third-hand exposure to methamphetamine, a health chief says.

Nelson Marlborough District Health Board chief executive Peter Bramley said mouldy homes were ‘‘absolutely’’ a bigger health risk than supposed meth homes.

Bramley was quizzed on meth houses at a community meeting in Seddon on Wednesday night. An Awatere resident asked if cold, damp and mouldy houses had a worse effect on health than prior meth smoking in properties.

‘‘The latest scientific evidence from the other day basically says that if your home was used as a meth lab, then of course your home would be contaminated, and probably at levels that are dangerous to your health,’’ Bramley said.

‘‘If you’ve had people in your home that have been smoking meth, then the evidence is that this probably isn’t dangerous to your health.

‘‘A warm, dry home is far more important to a family’s or an individual’s health.’’

Asthma Marlborough respiratory nurse Karen Vis said damp, old houses were ‘‘not good’’ for the health of an individual.

‘‘Spores are released by the mould and, when inhaled, they can cause respiratory problems,’’ Vis said. ‘‘It inflames the airways and creates issues with breathing.

‘‘Asthmatics are more sensitive to triggers, so there’s the potential as with meth residue for them to get sick,’’ she said.

ZeroStone Investigations owner Mike Lawson, whose business runs a meth testing service, said that while mould was ‘‘certainly an issue’’ when compared with meth, he considered both a health risk.

‘‘I’ve had a significant number of people feeling unwell who’ve then called up, got their house tested then come back with positive test results,’’ Lawson said.

‘‘I’m guided by science. Up until a couple of days ago, I was going by the New Zealand meth testing standard. Then a new report came out which said meth smoking was not as bad as we thought previously.’’

A report released earlier this week showed there was no real risk to humans from third-hand exposure to houses where meth had been consumed.

This meant tens of thousands of homes had needlessly been tested and cleaned, costing of millions of dollars, with some demolished or left empty.

Bramley said the NMDHB’s concern was that meth was a ‘‘highly addictive’’ drug.