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.