CONCERN GROWS ABOUT METH LAB HEALTH RISKS

ALBANY, N.Y. - After a meth lab exploded and killed a man in central
New York this week, a hazardous materials team cleaned up the site and
the home was declared inhabitable the following day.

The incident underscores growing concerns about the health dangers
posed by makeshift meth labs, which have become a growing problem in
recent years.

Prompted by questions about the risks of exposure, lawmakers this
December initiated a federal research program to issue guidelines to
states for the proper cleanup of such sites.

"The regulations for cleanup vary from state to state," said Steve
Robertson, special agent with the Drug Enforcement
Administration.

The process of cooking methamphetamine leaves a toxic residue inside
buildings.

In New York, the DEA removes the raw materials and the state
Department of Environmental Conservation conducts a review of the
environmental risks, as required by new legislation passed last year.
The bill, sponsored by Jeffery Dinowitz, a Bronx Democrat, requires
that the site be tested like other toxic sites. Ground water and soil
are tested and officials typically advise the removal of walls where
residue may have seeped in, DEC spokeswomen Maureen Wren said.

Whether the house is inhabitable is ultimately determined on a local
level, she said.

The day after Tuesday's explosion in Binghamton, a hazardous materials
team from state police cleaned up the site and the home is now
inhabitable, said Binghamton police Capt. Alex Minor.