DRUG LABS CAN LEAVE TOXIC DISASTERS

Methamphetamine labs are environmental nightmares.

Some of the substances used to make meth sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide,
acetone, gasoline and lye are corrosive and flammable. They seep into the
ground, water and air, leaving behind toxic disasters that cost thousands
to clean up.

Repeated exposure to the fumes can cause health problems, ranging from skin
irritation to lung damage to cancer.

Marshall County Drug Enforcement Unit Rob Savage said the labs "create an
environment that is pretty inhospitable to human beings."

Last year, Savage dismantled a meth lab. Not paying attention, Savage
touched some clear liquid on a kitchen counter. The liquid ate through the
two pairs of latex gloves he was wearing, took off several layers of skin
and caused severe blistering.

"We don't seize these properties because they are so hazardous," Savage
said. "We don't want to assume the liability."

Terry Bobo is aware of the dangers and risks. He is president of
Environmental Management Inc., based in Oklahoma. His company has a
contract with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to clean up meth
labs in 14 states, including Alabama.

EMI has been disposing of meth labs since 1985, and earned $1.2 million
last year, a DEA spokeswoman said.

EMI follows strict guidelines when destroying the labs, such as burning
some of the chemicals or materials or treating others before they are buried.

It is also costly.

The DEA, with an annual $20 million budget to deal with the labs, picks up
the tab because small sheriff's and police departments lack the resources.
The DEA said it spends $1,200 to $2,000 to train officers in Quantico, Va.,
in how to deal with the labs. Federal law requires that officers entering
labs have hazardous material training.

Getting rid of the mess, which cost an average of $3,300 per lab last year,
is only part of the problem. Each lab on average can create five to seven
pounds of toxic waste for every pound of methamphetamine produced,
according to the National Drug Intelligence Center.

Bobo said people get rid of the acids and bases by pouring them in the
toilet or down the kitchen sink. Sewers are not equipped to handle toxic
chemicals. And the material can leach out of septic tanks into the ground.

Police also have found meth materials on the side of roads, in fields and
in meth sludge dumped in back yards. Once in the soil and water, solvents
and other toxic byproducts can linger for years. Contaminated soil
typically has to be incinerated.

When officers raided a Birmingham home last fall, they found contaminated
glassware and debris piled in the basement. In front of the house, several
garbage cans were filled with toxic trash.

Police also say they can't force property owners to detoxify buildings that
once contained meth labs. People will merely put a fresh coat of paint on
walls that might have absorbed deadly vapors.

The chemicals are highly flammable, especially red phosphorous. The
phosphorous is obtained from striker plates taken from matchboxes. When
overheated, it produces extremely combustible and poisonous phosphine gas.

The labs are "sitting time bombs," Bobo said.

Michael David McGuff, 35, found out just how explosive the labs can be
after he made his last meth batch in March.

He was cooking in a Walker County trailer kitchen when he knocked over a
lantern the place didn't have electricity. The accident caused an explosion
that engulfed McGuff and the trailer.

McGuff was burned on 40 percent of his body, including his hands, neck,
face and inside his lungs. He died March 12 after spending six days at the
UAB Burn Center.