Cleaning Up Clandestine Meth Labs

Police departments typically hire certified hazardous-material disposal companies to do the initial cleanup of a meth lab. Why don’t the police clean up the labs themselves? Because, there are known health risks associated with being in a meth lab.

If you happen to buy a home that was a former meth lab, you should be wearing a hazmat suit too. The problem is, you may not know you’re living in a hazardous environment. There are no mandates that meth labs be cleaned and tested before they get sold to a home buyer. I have a hard time understanding why the government is taking so long to protect American citizens from the financial consequences and health dangers that are inherent to meth lab homes. The longer America’s elected officials wait to protect innocent men, women, and children, the more tragic and the more costly the results will be, not only for them, but for all Americans.

Excerpts from: Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Series, Guide No. 16, Clandestine Methamphetamine Labs 2nd Edition, Michael S. Scott, Kelly Dedel

“Cleaning up clandestine methamphetamine labs is an enormously complex, time-consuming and costly undertaking. Seizing a lab potentially makes a police agency liable for some of the costs of cleaning up on-site hazardous materials. If the lab is operating when police find it, it must first be safely neutralized so that it does not explode or chemically contaminate the environment. Then, the immediate and apparent hazardous-materials must be cleaned up and disposed of safely.”

“Police usually contract with certified hazardous-material disposal companies for this task. Seizing even a small lab can take four or more hours. Storing evidence and conducting laboratory analysis of chemicals are similarly time-consuming and costly. Many jurisdictions are finding that the demands of processing evidence are straining their forensic laboratory resources.”

“Finally, there is the question of a more permanent cleanup (or remediation) of the site to eliminate the long-term hazards posed by residual chemicals. Much is still unknown about such hazards, so we do not fully know how serious the risks of exposure to contamination are. Consequently, many issues regarding the costs and responsibility for cleanup remain unsettled. There are few, if any, established standards for acceptable contamination levels.”

“Complete remediation is seldom done because of the cost, and owners abandon some property rather than undertake that task. Public health and environmental officials, rather than police, will likely have to take the lead on remediation. New legislation or regulations may be required to establish and enforce remediation standards.”

The “abandoned property” mentioned in the last statement, typically goes back to the note holder of the abandoned property. If you’re buying a foreclosed home do your homework before you close the deal. Banks may not tell you that the home was previously a meth lab. The law doesn’t require them to!