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Victim of Meth?

If I found out my boyfriend of 11 yrs smoked meth in my house for about a year, how do I make sure my house is safe for my family. He no longer lives here but comes around occasionally because we have a child together. I know he stills smokes because his body still has a weird odor. Also, i have had unprotected sex with him but now I feel like since my vagina has a weird smell to it also. Not to mention that now when I'm out shopping, more so when he's around, people tend to cough and sneeze alot. Is his semen leaving some type residual toxic in me? I have already got tested for HIV and all STDS and thank god all is negative.
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Avatar universal
Hello, I hope you share this. I have crystal meth addicts living above me and the drug smell makes its way into my home whenever they take a hit. Of I'm under my blanket the results will be bad. The smell comes through and with my hot/steamy breath the toxic remains and stinks on my just clean blanket. I have to wash the blanket with toxic and soap. Vinegar gets the toxic out. The presence of toxic has side effects. Those are stupidity, sickness, reversal of healing, it's worse for kids, it damages and changes your DNA and genes and it gives you about 10 more diseases. Heroin side effects are the first four listed above. Here's the news, as of last year if you asked Google two words, toxic detector, out will tell you they are used in chimneys of manufacturing plants. Before that of you put toxic detector on Google out would show you toxic bombs so there was no toxic detector. Now the thing is that the rich control the scientists. They should make the scientists create a toxic detector so we can fully protect our children rather than seeing them make mistake after mistake. The personally don't like the rich. This is an atrocity, an invisible atrocity but I don't think it's invisible to all. Not invisible to those i may think that prefer the American public stupid, sick and addicted. So as an ambassador of Jesus Christ I say this means war. We as Christians are at way with sin. So nn short, crystal meth and heroin and probably all toxic too comes out of your pores. I know the smell is horrendous and I beg you to help protect all Americans from toxic and get change needed to get us back to our senses. God bless and study and fight hard in protest. Love.
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Avatar universal
This article is long, academic and does focus mainly on meth labs. BUT there's a section where they do a controlled experiment smoking meth in a home to see how far it disperses, what residue exists, what materials are affected the most and least...it took me ages to find this, and it confirmed what I was putting together myself from various sources: meth smoke/vapor gets everywhere due to micro-particles, a process called "salting out" which occurs with the act of smoking and that the residue contaminates all available surfaces to some extent. The residue then enters our bodies through skin contact primarily--and is especially dangerous for little ones crawling around, sticking things in their mouths. Simple activity stirs up meth dust, cleaning actually "revolatizes" it, especially taking a shower, for example, in the bathroom where it was smoked, will reactivate the residue on the walls and tiles and fixtures, and the cycle begins again!

Read approximately from pages 14--26. It's a heavy read but it's truly the only source I've found that has investigated to a deeper extent what occurs with long term meth smoking, to the home and non-smoking inhabitants. I am a researcher by profession and this is the only source that even remotely satisfied my desire to understand the chemistry behind this destructive drug.
http://oehha.ca.gov/public_info/public/kids/pdf/ExposureAnalysis022709.pdf

P 14--26 addresses meth smoking

Rest would be helpful for anyone dealing with meth lab situations and exposure
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Avatar universal
I have just been through a very similar situation. Discovered my husband had been smoking meth in our bathroom for over a year. I had no idea. All I knew was my home seemed to be falling apart: metal things like taps, pipes and fixtures were falling off the walls. Holes corroded through pipes and our washing machine. Formerly white porcelain sinks and tubs were now yellow and sticky. All my plants began to yellow and die. When cooking, I would get nauseous and vomit--because of the residue on my oven, stove and pots and pans. Worst of all, my toddler began to act differently and seemed to stop thriving. I kept cleaning my house, taking her to the doctor, trying so hard to figure out what was happening. Then I found a piece of burnt tinfoil and began to wonder. I pulled my house apart one day while husband was gone and eventually found my answer: a huge bag of crystal meth rocks. I left immediately and took her to a friend's house. When I gave her a bath, the bathtub was stained yellow...and I've been traumatized ever since.

I'm explaining all of this because I want the poster, Missy, to know that the damage done from smoking meth in your home is likely far more prolific and toxic than you can imagine. I've done extensive research in order to learn how to clean the residue. You cannot. Meth produces a vapor, not actually smoke. It changes forms when it comes into contact with moisture or even just movement from daily activity, whether steam from a shower or vacuuming the floor. It doesn't disappear, ever. The vapor disperses into micro-particles and hangs in the air. Look for brownish yellow splotches around your home--on light fixtures, frying pans, clothing, curtains, you name it, it's there. It embeds in walls, wood, fabric. Government health sites say only glass can be "cleaned" and recovered, using a product called Simple Green.  I had to destroy most of ourpossessions. We had to move. My toddler is no longer chronically sick, I still smell it everywhere though--I can tell right away if meth has been smoked somewhere or on someone. It leaves lead and mercury and sulphur behind on every surface, meaning it is ingested in food and drink and is on every surface, so anyone there is in contact. Vaginal infections, runny noses, skin rashes and mood swings are common. Get out. It destroyed the health of me and my baby for a long time...had no idea. And once I knew, all I could find was info on meth labs, not just some idiot smoking it long term in your home. The info exists, but it took months of research and doctor's visits and heartache, and it's really quite a new problem. I can post the journal article I found most helpful and even that states repeatedly that little research has been done in this area. I cannot emphasize how destructive meth smoking can be--I'm still in counseling and look at my toddler every day and wonder what that year of exposure has done to her, and me. Good luck.
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Avatar universal
It's really hard finding info about cleaning residue from meth that's smoked vs cooked. The hard part is not knowing how much was smoked and how often. When I asked people always made me feel I was paranoid or overreacting about smells. However, i noticed that my kids seemed to have more allergy and sinus problems which triggered bronchitis. It was very costly for me, but I got rid of everything that came into contact with the smoke, especially clothing; and as for the actual restroom/room it was smoked in, I used a baking soda and vinegar mix to wipe off walls, then wiped again with clean water making sure it was rinsed well, let walls completely dry, then paint with a paint that has primer already mixed into it. It smoked in restroom and there's a fan, personally I'd replace the fan. I'm a little extreme on what replace though. Goodluck!
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Avatar universal
Just wondering if you found ways to clean meth that was smoked in ur house? Also do u or n e 1 know how to detect if meth was smoked in ur house? I found out someone staying with me smokes meth and I want to know if it was smoked in my house, without buying costly lab tests.
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1809109 tn?1331803777
You might have to get rid of some of his well loved clothes or other cloth (just smell them after you wash them to see if the smell goes out), but besides that normal cleaning should be enough.
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Avatar universal
Just do what you normally wouldas far as cleaning, again no special precautions are necessary. Please keep you and your child safe and if you have any more questions feel free to post and someone will help you out everyone on here has been super helpful to me so far.
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Avatar universal
Keeping him away won't be too hard. He rarely comes around as much nowadays. Any responsibility seems to be a burden to him. I guess my main question is there a specific way to clean my room or bathroom, if at all,  since that's where he smoked. I've looked it up on the Internet and it only talked about cooking it, which I know for sure he hasn't done.
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1809109 tn?1331803777
ER *say hi.
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1809109 tn?1331803777
I second that- I've seen far too many babies taken away because they forgot to be fed. One kid's parents were so high and spent all their money on drugs- leaving nothing in the house for the kids to eat. The 4 year old ended up climbing into the cupboards and finding cereal for his 2 year old sister. These parents weren't evil, they were addicts. My sister was guilty of doing the same- luckily my niece knew to get me if she her mom wouldn't wake up and she was hungry. She's an amazing mother now, because she's sober. Please don't put your munchkin in danger. Let daddy say high and play but don't give any opportunity for neglect to occur.
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Avatar universal
Look, if he's using drugs around your child, who i presume is an infant, unsupervised there is a possibility that your child is coming in to contact with meth. If you take your kid in to a doctor and he runs it's blood say goodbye and get ready for some serious legal issues. Right now the best thing you can do is tell him that he cannot be around unless he is clean, regardless of your feelings for him there is someone more important that you need to be worrying about.
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Avatar universal
As for him showering, somedays he showers 4 times a day, other times he goes a couple of days without.
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Avatar universal
Thank you for your comment. Any info is much appreciated. Do u know if there's much residue from smoking it?
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1809109 tn?1331803777
I second that. Meth is nasty and the health effects are undeniable, but I don't think his semen is toxic. Most likely you have a vaginal infection from a yeast or bacterial infection. So I suggest getting checked up. I also second no more unprotected sex.

Besides that all I have is a word of caution. I don't know if he's got joint custody but if he does he could be putting the kid in danger. Drugs do horrible things to a person's mind so (from what I've seen) it's near impossible to be a great parent when you're using. I'm not saying he'd knowingly hurt your guy's child, but neglect isn't unusual; I've seen it plenty. Also knowing that he's still using and letting him have the child unsupervised may mean that if (god forbid anything happens, including something small like a car accident where everyone is ok but your ex was at fault) YOU could be cited for child endangerment for letting your kid go with someone you know isn't completely "safe". Not saying your ex is a bad person, but addiction is a horrible disease that makes people do stupid and hurtful things even to the ones they love most.
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Avatar universal
Sounds a little paranoid to me, now that you are aware of the smell your mind is picking it up everywhere. As a former meth addict, the only way he could be exposing you to any harmful chemicals is if he is cooking it or smoking in your face. As for the weird smell coming from your vagina, how often does he shower? Could be a yeast infection or a UTI, either way stop having unprotected sex with him or better yet don't let him come around till he's clean and your problems will be solved. Good luck!
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