METH CONTAMINATION LEAVES LONG-TERM HAZARDS

How much methamphetamine is enough to make a home unfit to live in?

The equivalent of about one drop in a gallon of water, or 5 micrograms per
square foot, will earn one of the Benton-Franklin Health District's
infamous green cards.

From a distance, the placards posted on a door declare "Entry is Unsafe."
The fine print advises that dangerous chemicals and toxic residues could
remain on the premises.

Removing, defacing or concealing the green poster can draw a fine of $750
and up to 90 days in jail.

Once a lab test confirms meth contamination, health officials slap up a red
placard, announcing the property as "Unfit for Occupancy." And they inform
the property owner what must be done to clean it up.

Allowing the home to be inhabited again without cleanup could bring
prosecution for a criminal misdemeanor.

But if anyone has faced a judge over a red notice violation, Terry Bloor, a
Benton County assistant prosecutor, hasn't heard of it. Such a prosecution
would be rare, he said.

Even if they were commonplace, it's unlikely the people who dabble in the
dangerous world of meth-making would pay any heed to the red and green notices.

"We've been to drug labs and found those posters inside. (The druggies)
think it is cool to collect them and keep on making their drugs," said Kipp
Silver, owner of ABLE Cleanup Technology in Spokane.

Silver and his partner, Jason Moline, know how careless meth-makers are.

"I've seen garbage 3 feet deep on the floor," said Silver, who typically
pulls a 12-yard dump trailer to each cleanup site. Their job isn't just to
muck out trash, however, but to dig deeper in search of meth residue.

The state's cleanup standard is generally defined as 5 micrograms per
square foot, but Washington Administrative Code sets it at 0.5 micrograms
per 100 square centimeters. The two standards are almost the same.

Harriet Ammann, a senior toxicologist in the state Office of Environmental
Health Assessments, said the standard was set close to zero tolerance
because there are no studies to show what level of exposure to meth is
hazardous to humans, particularly children.

"The population we are trying to protect are the children who are crawling
on the floor and touching contaminated surfaces," said Ammann, noting the
effects of methamphetamine on fetuses are well recognized.

"We know what happens with fetuses. (Methamphetamine) interferes with the
development of the nervous system, and exponentially there is greater
impact during the infant's growth."

It is assumed that crawlers, cruisers and toddlers also are at risk, Ammann
said. But there have been no specific studies on the effects of
methamphetamine on children. No one would deliberately expose infants to
the drug to establish baseline effects, she said.

Consequently, the standard of 5 micrograms per square foot is arbitrary,
but it can be reliably measured and is considered to be a "reasonable,
quantifiable, safe level," Ammann said. "If they clean up for this level of
methamphetamine, the other contaminants will be cleaned as well."

Jeff Brown of Kennewick, whose Action Environmental was the only certified
meth cleanup firm based in Southeast Washington until he folded the
business in late 2001, believes the state standard is too stringent.

"Personally, I think (the acceptable level) should be higher," Brown said.
He considers methamphetamine nowhere near as dangerous as the chemicals
used to make it.

Meth-makers create their concoctions using carcinogenic solvents and
caustic chemicals such as lye, red phosphorus and anhydrous ammonia. Those
substances are highly toxic even before they are mixed in a meth recipe,
yet several are commonly found in homes and garages.

Brown said having such a low threshold for acceptable meth contamination is
forcing costly cleanups using certified companies when property owners
could do an adequate job themselves.

Dave Eaton, Walla Walla County environmental health director, said meth is
getting a higher priority from health officials than other better-known
hazardous substances with proven track records for affecting health.

"I can do tests for radon or lead paint and find high levels, but I can't
tell the residents of those homes they have to move out because of health
risks to themselves or their children. However, if it's meth, then they
can't live there," Eaton said.

"One could make the argument that we should be in an educational role, not
an enforcement role," he said. He claimed his lower-key, not-so- aggressive
approach on cleanup is shared by several other Eastern Washington
environmental health directors.

While the Benton-Franklin Health District has slapped unfit for human
habitation notices on 60 private properties contaminated by methamphetamine
labs since 1999, Walla Walla has tagged only a half- dozen. And only one of
those has had a notice of contamination recorded on the property title,
Eaton said.

"I do what Spokane County does, which may not be meeting the letter of the
law, but it is practical," he said.

Once a meth lab is found, Eaton contacts the property owner, asking him to
get the property tested for meth contaminants as soon as possible.

"If the property owner is responsive and acts quickly to clean up any
contamination, then I will not cloud the property title with a notice of
contamination," he said. "It's an incentive for the property owner to do
the right thing."

In Benton and Franklin counties, health district official Rick Dawson has
been quick to red tag contaminated properties. But the sheer volume of new
cases has forced his staff to operate more like Eaton.

"We try to work with property owners. There's no sense to penalizing them,"
Dawson said.

But if a sampling of the contamination confirms methamphetamine, Dawson
will file a notice on the property title, which requires the property be
made meth-free before it can be reused.

"If we have lab data, we believe we have no choice at that point," Dawson said.

Property owners must hire a state-certified contractor to get rid of the
meth residue -- a job that frequently runs into thousands of dollars.

But a change may be coming by summer's end that would help owners of
meth-damaged properties save on some of the costs.

State law already allows homeowners to do the cleanup themselves or hire a
certified contractor, but the state codes on meth cleanup require the work
to be done by certified contractors. A revision of the code to conform to
state law should be done before fall, Dawson said.

Then owners of contaminated property will be able to follow guidelines to
rid their properties of methamphetamine. A follow-up test to confirm the
abatement still will be needed.

"It's not rocket science here. The (code) changes should make it easier for
the property owners," Dawson said.