HOME BUYERS NEED TO GET METH WARNING

THE METHAMPHETAMINE nightmare has become all too real in Illinois. Four
years ago, Illinois State Police reported just 24 seizures of meth labs.
Last year, meth lab seizures had grown to almost 400.

Meth manufacturing is relatively new to Illinois compared to some other
states. And if those other states are any indication, the worst is yet to come.

Methamphetamines were first synthesized in 1919. Back then, it took a
chemist and a real laboratory to create this class of drugs. Today all it
takes is some numbskull with a meth recipe taken off the Internet, a supply
of some highly toxic chemicals and a kitchen to do the lethal cooking.

The individual ingredients to make meth are legal and generally
unregulated. In fact, most of the necessary supplies can be obtained in a
well-stocked hardware store. When combined, these ingredients can earn meth
producers a healthy profit and leave the rest of us with a very unhealthy mess.

ABUSE OF ANY drug can ruin the life of the abuser and cause problems for
others. Unfortunately, meth has the potential to also ruin the lives of
completely innocent bystanders. It is a sure bet that unless this new drug
rage can be stemmed, it will cause grief for many innocent victims - many
of them children - and cost taxpayers many millions more to mop up the mess.

Law enforcement and public health officials have been known to refer to
meth labs as "mini Super Fund sites." It's hardly an exaggeration. For each
pound of meth produced in one of these labs, five to six pounds of
hazardous waste is left behind. Exactly what toxic materials are in a meth
house can vary widely as meth cookers have lots of different recipes for
the drug. But generally the waste is composed of corrosive acids and
flammable liquids.

Last month alone, police believe two fires in Springfield were caused by
explosions at meth labs. In some ways, it might be best if meth lab
explosions simply destroy the home beyond repair. That's because in
Illinois new tenants or buyers of a home where a meth lab existed need not
be told of the problem.

And it can be a major problem. Residue from cooking meth can seep into any
porous surface - carpeting, curtains, drywall, and furniture. Take for
example the possible problems caused by the solvents toluene and xylene
(just one ingredient in some meth recipes).

A PERSON EXPOSED to this chemical through its vapors, or worse yet by
ingesting it, can experience tremors, vomiting, dizziness and even
unconsciousness.

According to the "Illustrated Health Encyclopedia," "If the symptoms
progress rapidly, the likelihood of recovery is not very good. Deaths have
occurred as late as three days after ingestion of the product.

Inhalation of toluene or xylene also produces symptoms. Abuse of these
solvents by inhalation may produce permanent neurological deficits."

When police and cleanup workers go into a meth house, they wear protective
gear to minimize their risks. In Illinois, literally a few days later, a
new family could move into one of these homes completely unaware of what
the former occupants were up to. They will not have the benefit of
protective gear.

BUT THEY SHOULD have the benefit, at a minimum, of knowing that their new
residence was used to cook meth. More study is needed to know exactly how
dangerous a situation former meth houses pose, and how best to sanitize
them. More money for cleanup funds will also likely be necessary.

More immediately, Illinois should make it law that prospective renters and
buyers of known meth houses be informed of the possible hazard. We already
have rules concerning lead-based paint, radon gas and asbestos. Is exposure
to meth-related chemical residue any less dangerous?