A just released international review Household Contamination with Methamphetamine: Knowledge and Uncertainties published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is damning of the Gluckman Report.
The review questions Housing New Zealand and the Tenancy Tribunals adoption of the Gluckman Report and its recommendation of a new safe meth level of 15.0 micrograms.
The PMCSA report states that the New Zealand Standard (NZS 8510:2017) has not been cited in legislation, and therefore cannot be legally enforced [56]. However, notably, since the PMCSA report has been released, Housing New Zealand (the government organization that controls public housing in New Zealand) has raised the decontamination limits to 15 _g/100 cm2 [52], despite the PMCSA report being only a recommendation and in contrast with the standard (NZS 8510:2017). According to the Tenancy Tribunal [63], both the New Zealand Standard and the PMCSA limits are acceptable as the Residential Tenancies Act currently does not state a specific limit. This adds to the confusion and uncertainty surrounding methamphetamine remediation.
The final paragraph under NZ section on page 7 suggests that a class action is possible.
The reports released from Ministry of Health, ESR and Standards New Zealand are voluminous
(176, 55 and 61 pages each respectively) The conflicting reports are likely to cause confusion and uncertainty and could potentially increase mistrust in government and standardisation bodies that exist to provide support and structure for the general public. There is also the possibility that this could potentially lead to legal class action in the future (as happened with asbestos and glyphosate, for example).
The Gluckman Report is looking more and more like a rushed piece of work pushed by Phil Twyford to get some early runs on the board as a new minister. Gluckman’s Report has created confusion with the MBIE managed Tenancy Services website suggesting the use of both the NZ Standard and the Gluckman Report. This review outlines the issues and supports what we are hearing in that MBIE are struggling to get peer reviewed support to back up the Gluckman Report for the proposed Meth Regulations.
