A young man who died while installing pink batts in a Sydney home under a federal program had lived on a diet of fast food and used illicit drugs, a coronial inquest has heard.Marcus Wilson, 19, collapsed on a roadway minutes after working in 40-plus degree heat in the roof of the home at St Clair, in Sydney's west, in November 2009.
A co-worker saw him behaving oddly and then running towards traffic on a main road before he collapsed.
He was taken to hospital and placed in an induced coma but later died from organ failure.
A coronial inquest into Mr Wilson's death began on Monday in Sydney.
Detective Trevor Mirabito told the inquest that during his investigation he was told Mr Wilson ate fast food most days and used cannabis and ecstasy recreationally.
In his backpack, police found a bottle of muscle-enhancing pills available in health food stores and popular among gym users.
An empty bottle labelled anabolic steroids was also found in the backpack.
Det Mirabito said, in his opinion, the label was fake and he could not determine what had been in the bottle.
He also said video footage from an earlier time showed Mr Wilson snorting a white substance.
Toxicology tests did not find evidence of any illegal substances in Mr Wilson's system, but steroids were not tested for.
The inquest will look at risk management and other practices of roof insulation installers, as well as the procurement and supervision of contract workers employed to install the batts under the widely criticised federal subsidy scheme.
It will also review training provisions and the circumstances that led to Mr Wilson's death.
The inquiry continues.