Pubdate: Fri, 04 Mar 2005
Source: Jackson Sun News (TN)
Copyright: 2005 The Jackson Sun
Contact:  http://www.jacksonsun.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1482
Author: Mike Madden
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

FEDS MAY SET STANDARDS FOR METH CLEANUP

WASHINGTON - Poisonous fumes leak into nearby rooms. Toxic chemicals seep 
into carpets. And drug residue coats the walls.

Those are some of the lasting effects of methamphetamine labs, where 
amateur chemists make the cheap, addictive drug that law enforcement 
officials around Tennessee and the country say is rapidly becoming a major 
scourge. The labs can be set up anywhere - in hotel rooms, apartments, 
sheds or cars.

Even after police find and shut a meth production site, the area nearby can 
remain contaminated for as long as six months. With labs proliferating 
rapidly - more than 1,200 were found in Tennessee alone last year - the 
toxic waste they leave behind adds another layer of trouble to the damage 
the drug can do to communities.

Tennessee ranked third in the nation last year in meth lab-related 
incidents, according to a federal database. Now federal environmental and 
science officials may be called in to help set guidelines for state and 
local authorities to follow in cleaning up former meth lab sites, so people 
who live nearby and police who close the drug labs might not face as much 
risk from the poisonous byproducts.

"There will always be people who decide to harm themselves by using and 
manufacturing dangerous drugs such as methamphetamine," said Rep. Bart 
Gordon, a Murfreesboro Democrat who is the lead sponsor of legislation that 
would develop health standards for dealing with meth lab sites. "(The 
legislation) is aimed at protecting innocent people whose lives are 
endangered by these illegal activities."

Gordon's bill would charge the Environmental Protection Agency and the 
National Institute of Standards and Technology with developing guidelines 
on cleaning up meth labs and updating state authorities on the best 
techniques to ensure safety. It would also authorize $4.5 million for 
research over the next three years.

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen has made cracking down on meth labs a major 
priority.

"While we continue making progress on that front, we should also ensure the 
former sites are properly cleaned up so they don't pose long-term health 
and environmental threats," said Rep. John Tanner, D-Union City, a 
co-sponsor of the bill. Additional co-sponsors include Reps. Jim Cooper, 
Lincoln Davis, Harold Ford Jr., and Bill Jenkins, all from Tennessee.

Most meth is made using home-grown recipes and an assortment of everyday 
chemicals, experts told the House Science Committee on Thursday in a 
hearing on the legislation. Drug makers use cold medicine containing 
ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, then mix and cook in other ingredients like 
gasoline, rubbing alcohol, antifreeze, chlorine, drain cleanser or chemical 
fertilizer.

All the toxic byproducts can cause irritation to the eyes, throats and skin 
of people exposed to them. They can also affect the nervous system. Some 
long-term effects of exposure aren't known yet because not enough research 
has been done, experts said.

For each pound of meth produced, five pounds of toxic waste remains, 
Tennessee Technological University president Robert Bell told the 
committee. Removing the waste can cost up to $20,000 per lab site, but 
restoring the area so it's safe afterward can cost tens of thousands of 
dollars more.

Tennessee and some other states have set their own guidelines for cleaning 
up meth labs, but experts and lawmakers say the federal government's 
knowledge and resources are crucial to determining how best to clean up the 
hazardous byproducts of the drug.

"We do not have much information on the long-lasting health effects cause 
by exposure to clandestine methamphetamine laboratories," said John 
Martyny, an associate professor of medicine at the National Jewish Medical 
and Research Center in Denver.

The legislation has bipartisan support on the science committee and 
Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, a New York Republican, said he doesn't expect 
it to have trouble passing the House soon.

Toxic impact

Most meth is made with chemicals such as cold medicine containing ephedrine 
or pseudoephedrine, gasoline, rubbing alcohol, antifreeze, chlorine, drain 
cleanser or chemical fertilizer.

Toxic byproducts can cause irritation to the eyes, throats and skin of 
people exposed to them. They can also affect the nervous system.

For each pound of meth made, five pounds of waste remains. Removing it can 
cost up to $20,000 per lab site.

On the Net

www.house.gov/science, House Science Committee.

www.state.tn.us/governor/meth.htm, Governor's Task Force on Methamphetamine 
Abuse.

gordon.house.gov, Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Murfreesboro.
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MAP posted-by: Beth