Source: Rockhill Environmental Newsletter, June 2012
Drug lab and crime scene cleanups pose some potentially significant remediation challenges and pollution exposures, even for experienced remediation contractors. Remediation projects in places such as methamphetamine (“Meth”) laboratories found in residential dwellings and at recent crime scenes require adherence to certain EPA, state, and local cleanup requirements.
Having a Rockhill Contractor’s Pollution Liability (CPL) Policy is an effective tool in protecting a contractor’s exposure in performing these cleanup operations from third party pollution claims.
When a drug is so highly addictive, like Meth, it creates a higher demand. Combined with the fact that methamphetamine manufacturing instructions are readily available via the Internet to anyone who might be interested in starting up their own lab, the perfect environment is set for makeshift labs to pop up in any neighborhood. Meth labs can be found in houses, apartments, hotel rooms, sheds and even in motor vehicles. In fact, most of us have read somewhere or watched news reels about clandestine lab explosions in residential neighborhoods.
Aside from the obvious danger of unintended explosions, Meth production contaminates dwelling surfaces, furnishings, and ventilation systems with hazardous chemicals. These residual toxins can be hazardous to the health of people exposed to those labs (e.g. neighbors) and the discarded materials.
It is recommended for safety reasons, that a contaminated area be cleaned and remediated by an experienced and qualified environmental company trained in hazardous removal and cleanup. There are also state cleanup standards that qualified contractors must maintain in order to allow re-occupancy.