A COTTAGE INDUSTRY: RISE IN METH LABS SPURS INCREASE IN METH LAB CLEANUP BUSINESSES

 

With the banking crisis of 2008, a growing number of vacated houses have been occupied by meth lab operators.  

So many of these distressed properties have been breached, that the cleanup of homes used to cook meth has become a booming cottage industry. 

Meth cooking is a toxic enterprise.  To make meth, is the dirtiest drug synthesis there is, and the byproducts are becoming increasingly toxic.  What is left behind can often become the cause of serious illness and even death in children, if left untouched. 

To ensure that homes are safe for habitation, a growing number of small businesses go in and wipe clean all residue left behind by the drug dealers. 

The process is complicated: samples of almost every surface have to be examined to assess where the contamination has reached and the extent of it.

With the growing number of small enterprises eager to share in in the clean-up bonanza, and the lack of regulation, a number of irregularities are believed to exist, where unprepared or hasty workers could leave the premises less than fit for habitation. 

The other problem is that most insurance companies do not pay for meth lab cleanup, so that the burden of cleanup rests on the property owner, and might be the reason for less than perfect cleanup due to the high costs. 

What makes things worse, is that homeowners often do not disclose that the property was the location of a meth lab, even though the law prescribes it.  This can cause exposure if the cleanup is not thorough, especially for children.   Even worse, is when the cleanup does not occur at all, leaving potential homeowners/tenants exposed to the full range of toxic chemicals left behind by the operation. 

In some states, like Tennessee, homes with meth labs are quarantined, and they are not released for years, until the backlog for inspection and cleanup is cleared.  That alone could lead some property owners not to disclose the existance of a meth lab. 

Some states are more affected then others, with the poorer areas of the Midwest particularly hit. 

In some areas, where the homes have been foreclosed after they were used as meth labs, the properties revert to being bank property.  With the backlog of distressed property still very long, many of the meth lab homes are just left to rot, boarded up, and target for further abuse by drug dealers. 

Source: NBC news / 12.27.13