Meth labs: Remediation and disclosure Part 1: Public Concerns

The devastating effects of crystal methamphetamine are well known. A key factor in the growing epidemic is that meth can be easily made with over-the-counter drugs and common household ingredients, and manufactured in homes. The same substances that make meth so toxic to its users permeate the walls, floors, and carpeting of thousands of these mom-and-pop labs and can remain there for years. Since each pound of meth manufactured or "cooked" leaves behind 5 pounds of chemical waste, many states consider meth labs, no matter how rudimentary, hazardous waste sites. Meth labs thus pose threats to both public health and the environment. Because of the increasing number of homes being used to make meth, a growing problem is that of unknowing homebuyers purchasing what were once meth labs and suffering the same effects as ingesting meth. States are beginning to respond with such laws as making the property owner responsible for cleanup and requiring disclosure to a potential buyer that meth had been manufactured in a home.

California and Minnesota have been dealing with the meth problem for years and have excellent websites on the subject. Specifically for background on meth lab remediation:

See Site Cleanup by California's Department of Toxic Substances Control (Clandestine Drug Labs)

and Lab Cleanup by Minnesota's Department of Health