New law requires homeowners to cleanup meth contamination

By Jenny Burns

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ 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 dry wall, 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 Rep. Sue Tibbs, R-Tulsa, who authored the bill in the last Legislature.

Law enforcement agents who find meth labs call cleanup companies to remove the hazardous 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. "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. Those 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 the measure's Senate sponsor, Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso. "It protects the seller and the buyer. All of the realtors were for the bill.

Law agencies in Oklahoma spend roughly $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."

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New law requires homeowners to cleanup meth contamination