Potential for the Remediation of Methamphetamine Contamination Using Ozone

The deposition of methamphetamine within indoor environments due to illegal activities can pose a health risk for occupants. Current cleaning techniques are costly and inefficient, calling for the development of alternative remediation methods. In addition, the fate of methamphetamine in indoor environments is largely unknown, negatively impacting our knowledge on the health risks associated with contaminated dwellings. Under the conditions of this study, 97% of surface deposited methamphetamine on a paper substrate was consumed after 12 min of exposure to ozone, thus demonstrating potential for its use as a remediation agent. The reaction had an effective second-order rate constant with an upper limit of 2.15 ± 1 × 10^-18  cm³ /molecule/s, and the main product observed was phenyl-2-propanone (P2P) at 8.3% yield, as determined using GC/MS. Several products observed in this study have also been reported as by-products of methamphetamine synthesis, including P2P-a known methamphetamine precursor, which indicates that their detection at a potential clandestine site is not necessarily evidence of manufacture.