{"id":690,"date":"2016-11-12T15:08:08","date_gmt":"2012-11-12T15:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.viamedic.com\/blog\/?p=690"},"modified":"2012-11-12T15:08:08","modified_gmt":"2012-11-12T15:08:08","slug":"meth-labs-leave-toxins-long-after-clean-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/current-health-news\/meth-labs-leave-toxins-long-after-clean-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Meth Labs Leave Toxins Long After Clean Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you know that meth labs leave toxins and traces of methamphetamine in the walls for months, even if a cleanup crew clears the building? —\u00a0Click to Tweet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Home meth labs typically don’t even have a chemistry set. Instead they use home chemicals and plastic bottles. (Photo by Zimbly Anif on Flickr.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A perfect example is the home of Beth and Jonathan Hankins<\/a>, a couple who moved their family into a house in Klamath Falls, Oregon. They\u2019d bought the property from Freddie Mac.<\/p>\n

Within just a few days, the mysterious health problems set in. Beth had trouble breathing, and Jonathan started suffering from nosebleeds and migraine headaches. The couple\u2019s two-year-old son, Ezra, even began developing mouth sores.<\/p>\n

Other reported health problems have been even worse, with serious respiratory illnesses. Even dogs<\/a> have been known to get sick.<\/p>\n

Cleanup Activities on Meth Labs<\/strong>
\nIt turns out that the Hankins\u2019 home had been previously owned by a meth cook, and no cleanup was performed afterward.<\/p>\n

Normally, a registered, qualified meth lab cleanup company has to come in and scour the home for contaminants, many of which are in the walls and ceilings. The dust in the house is also contaminated with solvents and other reactive chemicals that make the meth concoction.<\/p>\n

This process is normally rigorous. Cleanup companies have to have licenses and certifications from the state, and they have yearly required refresher classes as well. Once they perform the cleanup, they give the property owner a \u201cCertificate of Illegal Drug Cleanup.\u201d In some states, this certificate has to be given to the local and state health departments as well.<\/p>\n

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Hopefully Glenn Morrison’s work will shed some light on the safety of former meth labs as residences. (Photo by Horia Varlan on Flickr.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Research on Cleanup Activities<\/strong>
\nBut some environmental research suggests that families might not be safe even when a cleanup is performed.<\/p>\n

Glenn Morrison is an associate professor of environmental engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, and he\u2019s working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to find out more about how meth chemicals \u201caccumulate in the building materials, furniture, and common household items\u201d of a meth house during production.<\/p>\n

What he\u2019s finding is that the methamphetamine can remain in the walls for months, even years after they\u2019ve been cleaned, which is far longer than most of the solvents and other things that go into making meth. Meth itself, however, is less reactive, so it can stay in the walls and slowly release into the atmosphere of the house.<\/p>\n

Although his research isn\u2019t finished, he\u2019s focusing on finding what concentration of meth in the walls could actually cause an effective dosage in the residents of the house. He\u2019s concerned that a high enough concentration could cause a daily exposure similar to a dose of Adderall, which is an ADHD medication similar to methamphetamine His research, however, isn\u2019t finished, so we will have to wait for his results.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you know that meth labs leave toxins and traces of methamphetamine in the walls for months, even if a cleanup crew clears the building? —\u00a0Click to Tweet. A perfect example is the home of Beth and Jonathan Hankins, a couple who moved their family into a house in Klamath Falls, Oregon. They\u2019d bought the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-health-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t