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Past Meth Lab Homes Sicken Unsuspecting Owners
The Austin American Statesman, in its July 14, 2009, edition, highlighted a disturbing
trend of home owners finding high levels of methamphetamine from a past owner’s
use of the home as a meth lab. Methamphetamine has been found to permeate many areas
of a home from air ducts, dry wall, and carpets to insulation. With meth lab seizures
on the rise across the US for the first time since 2003, the problem of meth contamination
not only impacts the health of unsuspecting owners and their families but also their
financial future. (The
Austin American Statesman).
Federal data on meth lab seizures show that tens of thousands of contaminated homes
exist in the US. Several states have attempted to address this rising problem with
cleanup requirements and disclosure of the house’s history at the time of sale.
Despite these efforts, hundreds of properties in Western and Southern states affected
with meth use remain vacant and quarantined. The major barriers to successful home
remediation of methamphetamine include the stringency of the cleanup requirements,
the degree of contamination, and the high cleanup costs which range from $5,000
to $100,000 depending on the size of the home.
The article illustrated how meth contamination can bring significant health problems
and financial ruin to unsuspecting families. Soon after buying and moving into a
former meth lab home in Grapevine, TX, one family began experiencing severe health
issues, including asthma-like breathing problems for one child and seizures for
the family dog. After discovering meth levels in the air ducts at levels 100 times
above the commonly cited cleanup threshold, the family moved out of the home. They
threw away most of their possessions since they could not be cleaned and let the
house go into foreclosure. Even though the former owner marked no for the meth lab
home question on the disclosure form, the family decided not to sue him since there
would be nothing to gain from a man in prison for meth possession.
Currently, no national standards exist for testing and cleanup of meth contamination
in homes. While Congress ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to publish
cleanup guidelines by December, 2008, the agency is still reviewing a draft version.
Cerilliant offers certified solution standards for methamphetamine, amphetamine,
and their labeled analogs. We offer numerous pharmaceutical and forensic drug solutions
suitable for a variety of uses, such as pharmaceutical or forensic analysis, urine
drug testing, system suitability, isotope dilution methods, or calibrator preparation.
Click on the links below to view our methamphetamine and amphetamine reference standards:
Cerilliant Certified Solution
Standards of Methamphetamine
Cerilliant Certified Solution
Standards of Amphetamine
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