Pubdate: Wed, 24 Apr 2002
Source: Tri-City Herald (WA)
Copyright: 2002 Tri-City Herald
Contact:  http://www.tri-cityherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/459
Author: John Trumbo

METH CONTAMINATION LEAVES LONG-TERM HAZARDS

How much methamphetamine is enough to make a home unfit to live in?

The equivalent of about one drop in a gallon of water, or 5 micrograms per 
square foot, will earn one of the Benton-Franklin Health District's 
infamous green cards.

 From a distance, the placards posted on a door declare "Entry is Unsafe." 
The fine print advises that dangerous chemicals and toxic residues could 
remain on the premises.

Removing, defacing or concealing the green poster can draw a fine of $750 
and up to 90 days in jail.

Once a lab test confirms meth contamination, health officials slap up a red 
placard, announcing the property as "Unfit for Occupancy." And they inform 
the property owner what must be done to clean it up.

Allowing the home to be inhabited again without cleanup could bring 
prosecution for a criminal misdemeanor.

But if anyone has faced a judge over a red notice violation, Terry Bloor, a 
Benton County assistant prosecutor, hasn't heard of it. Such a prosecution 
would be rare, he said.

Even if they were commonplace, it's unlikely the people who dabble in the 
dangerous world of meth-making would pay any heed to the red and green notices.

"We've been to drug labs and found those posters inside. (The druggies) 
think it is cool to collect them and keep on making their drugs," said Kipp 
Silver, owner of ABLE Cleanup Technology in Spokane.

Silver and his partner, Jason Moline, know how careless meth-makers are.

"I've seen garbage 3 feet deep on the floor," said Silver, who typically 
pulls a 12-yard dump trailer to each cleanup site. Their job isn't just to 
muck out trash, however, but to dig deeper in search of meth residue.

The state's cleanup standard is generally defined as 5 micrograms per 
square foot, but Washington Administrative Code sets it at 0.5 micrograms 
per 100 square centimeters. The two standards are almost the same.

Harriet Ammann, a senior toxicologist in the state Office of Environmental 
Health Assessments, said the standard was set close to zero tolerance 
because there are no studies to show what level of exposure to meth is 
hazardous to humans, particularly children.

"The population we are trying to protect are the children who are crawling 
on the floor and touching contaminated surfaces," said Ammann, noting the 
effects of methamphetamine on fetuses are well recognized.

"We know what happens with fetuses. (Methamphetamine) interferes with the 
development of the nervous system, and exponentially there is greater 
impact during the infant's growth."

It is assumed that crawlers, cruisers and toddlers also are at risk, Ammann 
said. But there have been no specific studies on the effects of 
methamphetamine on children. No one would deliberately expose infants to 
the drug to establish baseline effects, she said.

Consequently, the standard of 5 micrograms per square foot is arbitrary, 
but it can be reliably measured and is considered to be a "reasonable, 
quantifiable, safe level," Ammann said. "If they clean up for this level of 
methamphetamine, the other contaminants will be cleaned as well."

Jeff Brown of Kennewick, whose Action Environmental was the only certified 
meth cleanup firm based in Southeast Washington until he folded the 
business in late 2001, believes the state standard is too stringent.

"Personally, I think (the acceptable level) should be higher," Brown said. 
He considers methamphetamine nowhere near as dangerous as the chemicals 
used to make it.

Meth-makers create their concoctions using carcinogenic solvents and 
caustic chemicals such as lye, red phosphorus and anhydrous ammonia. Those 
substances are highly toxic even before they are mixed in a meth recipe, 
yet several are commonly found in homes and garages.

Brown said having such a low threshold for acceptable meth contamination is 
forcing costly cleanups using certified companies when property owners 
could do an adequate job themselves.

Dave Eaton, Walla Walla County environmental health director, said meth is 
getting a higher priority from health officials than other better-known 
hazardous substances with proven track records for affecting health.

"I can do tests for radon or lead paint and find high levels, but I can't 
tell the residents of those homes they have to move out because of health 
risks to themselves or their children. However, if it's meth, then they 
can't live there," Eaton said.

"One could make the argument that we should be in an educational role, not 
an enforcement role," he said. He claimed his lower-key, not-so- aggressive 
approach on cleanup is shared by several other Eastern Washington 
environmental health directors.

While the Benton-Franklin Health District has slapped unfit for human 
habitation notices on 60 private properties contaminated by methamphetamine 
labs since 1999, Walla Walla has tagged only a half- dozen. And only one of 
those has had a notice of contamination recorded on the property title, 
Eaton said.

"I do what Spokane County does, which may not be meeting the letter of the 
law, but it is practical," he said.

Once a meth lab is found, Eaton contacts the property owner, asking him to 
get the property tested for meth contaminants as soon as possible.

"If the property owner is responsive and acts quickly to clean up any 
contamination, then I will not cloud the property title with a notice of 
contamination," he said. "It's an incentive for the property owner to do 
the right thing."

In Benton and Franklin counties, health district official Rick Dawson has 
been quick to red tag contaminated properties. But the sheer volume of new 
cases has forced his staff to operate more like Eaton.

"We try to work with property owners. There's no sense to penalizing them," 
Dawson said.

But if a sampling of the contamination confirms methamphetamine, Dawson 
will file a notice on the property title, which requires the property be 
made meth-free before it can be reused.

"If we have lab data, we believe we have no choice at that point," Dawson said.

Property owners must hire a state-certified contractor to get rid of the 
meth residue -- a job that frequently runs into thousands of dollars.

But a change may be coming by summer's end that would help owners of 
meth-damaged properties save on some of the costs.

State law already allows homeowners to do the cleanup themselves or hire a 
certified contractor, but the state codes on meth cleanup require the work 
to be done by certified contractors. A revision of the code to conform to 
state law should be done before fall, Dawson said.

Then owners of contaminated property will be able to follow guidelines to 
rid their properties of methamphetamine. A follow-up test to confirm the 
abatement still will be needed.

"It's not rocket science here. The (code) changes should make it easier for 
the property owners," Dawson said.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart