March 28, 2024

The challenge of cleaning up a meth lab

Demolition might be less costly option, guidelines say

One of the final lines of an Environmental Protection Agency set of guidelines on cleaning a home exposed to methamphetamine is “Demolition may be considered a more cost-effective option.”

Indeed, the decision to demolish a home that has been the site of meth use or production — especially mobile or pre-manufactured homes — is made frequently enough to make it a commonly discussed option for property owners. However, expensive homes or ones exposed only slightly to meth often are candidates for a simple and yet thorough, hazardous-materials intensive cleaning.

After all insurance and law discussions lead to a decision to clean a building that might have had meth exposure, a detailed process must be followed. One Newton-area cleaning service owner shared the steps needed to be taken to ensure potential for methamphetamine contamination has been removed.

James Miller, who owns Integrity Cleaning & Restoration along with his wife Janelle, shared a few of his experiences with cleaning properties that required hazardous materials guidelines. He also shared the federal guidelines and steps for cleaning the interior and exterior of buildings that have been exposed to meth.

“Since we commonly clean buildings that have been damaged by fire, we’re used to reviewing hazardous-material handling guidelines,” Miller said. “Generally, a lot of methamphetamine and other ‘hazmat’ decisions use common-sense, better-safe-than-sorry logic.”

Miller said he’s seen everything from tabletop items to materials that are part of a house, such as sheetrock, replaced. Some materials simply can’t be cleaned.

“Even though there might be a lot of expense involved in replacing something, if there’s any doubt about whether to clean something, clean it; if it’s a toss-up between cleaning something or replacing it, replace it.”

Kerry Walker, the local franchise owner for Servicemaster Restoration & Cleaning Services, said he doesn’t willingly take on jobs in houses that have been known locations of extensive drug use or production because it would involve Servicemaster’s company-wide insurance.

“As a franchise owner, I could take on a lot of different projects,” Walker said. “But because corporate helps us out with a lot of insurance backing, I wouldn’t take that risk.”

Walker said while it’s obvious at many locations that heavy drug activity was taking place, he has found himself discovering the extent of drug-related damage in mid-job, having already begun a cleaning process.

“Cleaning services are familiar with smoke damage, and drugs often involve that,” Walker said. “Any kind of heavy drug smoke, be it from cigarettes, marijuana or other sources, makes it really tough to eliminate the smell. From carpets to walls to drop ceilings to flooring, sometimes everything has got to go, followed by sealing with a type of odor-blocker. Lots of material can absorb odors — even the hard plastic of smoke alarms.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration lists eight addresses — five from Newton, two in Prairie City and one in Mingo — in Jasper County as sites where “clandestine laboratories” have been discovered, along with the date of discovery. Some properties have been extensively modified, and have had an entire structure demolished, since a lab was discovered on site.

Here is the DEA’s list, which was last updated July 27: bit.ly/2aCW4lt

The DEA’s 2015 “Drugs of Abuse” guide section on methamphetamine, which can be found here: bit.ly/2aQSlQG

There are at least two online publications Miller says he refers to for the best practices in cleaning or removing items and material in homes exposed to methamphetamine. In cases where there is a discrepancy between procedures for a lab site versus simply a place where methamphetamine was stored or smoked, Miller said, the tendency is to follow the more stringent or safest, most thorough approach.

One is the Environmental Protection Agency’s Voluntary Guidelines for Methamphetamine Laboratory Cleanup; the other is the North Dakota Department of Health’s “Best Management Practices for Cleanups at Methamphetamine Labs.”

Here are some of the highlights from those two sets of guidelines:

• Notify owners of all residences and businesses in the immediate vicinity of the affected property — at a minimum, within one block or 500 feet, whichever is greater — that a meth lab was discovered.

• Partial equipment list: Protective clothing (coveralls), vinyl gloves, plastic trash bags, gallon zip-lock plastic bags, cat litter, a camera, cardboard boxes, a shovel and goggles or eye shields.

• Maintain proper ventilation of the structure throughout cleanup. Vent structures for a minimum of two days before cleaning, being careful to circulate air to the outdoors and not to the air intakes of adjacent structures.

• Neutralize acidic solutions with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and basic solutions with weakly acidic wash solutions, such as vinegar, citric or acetic acid.

• Remove all chemicals from the building. Some of the common household chemicals used to produce meth include lye, toluene, Coleman fuel and muriatic acid.

• Scoop up and package solids for proper waste disposal, as directed by local waste management experts.

• Absorb liquids with clay or another non-reactive material and package for proper waste disposal.

• Some large upholstered furniture can be deep-cleaned, particularly in a short-term lab. However, in areas of moderate to high contamination, upholstered furniture and deep-pile carpeting may not be cleanable.

• Check with the local water utility about septic or sewer impacts. Power-flushing of pipes can be done, but it is best to have a plumbing professional perform this and any other needed procedures.

• Replacing all filters in a heating and air conditioning system cleaning of vents, the surfaces near system inlets and outlets, and the system’s ductwork by a professional heating and air conditioning cleaning company is recommended. In motels, apartments, row-houses or other multiple-unit dwellings, a ventilation system might serve more than one unit or structure.

• Remove and replace all interior surface sections that have visible contamination or staining.

• Scrub remaining interior surfaces using a standard detergent solution, such as Simple Green or Trisodium Phosphate (TSP)) and rinse with clean water.

• Repaint interior surfaces with an oil base paint, epoxy or polyurethane coating.

• After the cleaning, painting and final airing, recheck for any odors, re-staining, or discoloration. These signs would indicate the initial cleaning was not successful, and that further cleaning or other more extensive steps are needed.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com