NEW LAW SHOULD LET PURCHASERS FIND OUT IF HOMES HAD METH

Home buyers will soon be protected from unknowingly living where
methamphetamine has been made, meaning owners may foot hefty bills for
removing the drug's hazards. A new law that takes effect Nov. 1 requires
homeowners to disclose if the drug has been made on their property before
they can sell it.

Toxic chemicals from makeshift meth labs can saturate into drywall, vents,
drains, concrete and carpet. For each pound of meth made, narcotics agents
say, there can be another five to seven pounds of toxic waste.

Contaminants from meth-making can cause breathing problems, nausea,
headaches and, in some cases of high exposure, death, authorities say.

"The substance is extremely harmful to children," said state Rep. Sue
Tibbs, R- Tulsa, who authored the bill in the Legislature.

Law enforcement agents who find meth labs call cleanup companies to remove
the chemicals. But officials warn the cleanup shouldn't end there.

"Once we leave, the house is still contaminated, and it's usually stuff you
can't see," said Mark Woodward, spokesman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of
Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control. "The house needs to be tested."

Getting rid of contamination doesn't come cheaply.

Estimates from one environmental firm show a complete cleaning can take one
to two days and cost $5,000 to $7,000. The costs can be reduced by having
homes tested first to see which areas need the most extensive cleanup.

Under the law, buyers can sue within two years if sellers don't disclose
the presence of a meth lab.

"The bill is a very good consumer bill," said state Sen. Randy Brogdon,
R-Owasso, the Senate sponsor.

"It protects the seller and the buyer. All of the Realtors were for the bill."

Law agencies in Oklahoma spend about $4.3 million a year just removing
hazardous material from meth labs. Federal funds typically cover such
costs, Woodward said.

But there are other expenses.

The Oklahoma City Police Department alone spent $30,000 on disposable
protective suits last year, $130,000 on equipment to complete the job and
$175,000 in overtime.

"Working these are very manpower-intensive," said Lt. Tom Terahune, the
department's narcotics supervisor.

"They are expensive, and we have to pay overtime because we work quite a
few at night."

After making arrests and collecting evidence, an officer must wait at the
site at a meth lab for a private firm to haul off the dangerous chemicals.

On a busy night, that wait can stretch from 8 to 20 hours, Woodward said.

"Meth labs are just very expensive," he said, "from the search warrants to
the eventual prosecution."