Pubdate: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 Source: Fresno Bee, The (CA) Copyright: 2001 The Fresno Bee Contact: http://www.fresnobee.com/man/opinion/letters.html Website: http://www.fresnobee.com/ Forum: http://www.fresnobee.com/man/projects/webforums/opinion.html Author: Russell Clemings, The Fresno Bee BILL REQUIRES DRUG LAB DISCLOSURE Property Owners Would Have To Reveal Whether Lab Has Been Cleaned Up. A state senator from Southern California has introduced a bill in the Legislature to require property owners to notify prospective buyers or renters if an illegal drug lab has been discovered on their property, and to disclose whether it was completely cleaned up. The bill by Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Redondo Beach, would extend an existing law on real estate disclosures that covers hazards such as asbestos, radon gas or lead-based paint to include chemical residues left from the clandestine manufacture of methamphetamine and other illicit drugs. About 2,000 such labs are discovered each year in California. Although a state agency provides funding for removing stored chemicals and contaminated equipment, there is no public money available for removing residues that may linger in walls, carpets and other places, Bowen said in a statement. "It's illegal for a property owner to cover up asbestos-laced insulation in the floors or attic, then try and sell the home without disclosing that information," Bowen said. "So why should it be any different when a property owner just paints over a wall that had been contaminated by the toxic cooking process used to make meth?" The problem of unsuspecting buyers and renters moving into contaminated sites of former drug labs was one of several hazards identified in an 18-page special report, "A Madness Called Meth," that was published jointly Oct. 8 by The Fresno Bee, Modesto Bee and Sacramento Bee. The report by the McClatchy Co.'s California newspapers also found inconsistent cleanup standards from county to county, making it difficult to say with assurance that a former drug lab site has been cleaned up enough for habitation. At one extreme, Sacramento County officials require owners to hire an industrial hygienist to take samples before and after cleanup; only then will the county issue a letter declaring the property safe. Some counties require no site cleanup at all; most are in the middle. Bowen sponsored a bill last year to require the state Department of Toxic Substances Control to set statewide cleanup standards, but Gov. Davis vetoed it. However, the governor included funding and staff in his proposed 2001-02 budget for the department to develop such guidelines. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D