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A bill passed by the House Dec. 13 aims to protect the health and safety of workers responsible for shutting down and cleaning up methamphetamine labs. Several fire fighters have been killed when entering booby-trapped labs or have suffered from exposure to fumes when entering the labs.
The legislation has received the endorsement of the National Association of Counties, Fraternal Order of Police, National Association of Realtors, National MultiHousing Council, National Apartment Association, National Sheriffs’ Association, National Narcotics Officers Associations Coalition, and the International Association of Fire Fighters.
The Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2005 was spearheaded by the House Science Committee due to the growing methamphetamine problem in many states. Houses and apartments used as meth labs are contaminated by the chemicals used to make the drug.
The bill develops “guidelines for the cleanup and remediation of former meth labs, providing guidance to first responders who enter suspected meth labs, and establishing a research program to study the environmental and safety risks associated with meth contamination.”
According to the Science Committee, “In 2004, the Drug Enforcement Agency busted more than 17,000 domestic meth labs, which are often located in rented apartments or motel rooms. After labs are busted, serious questions remain as to the extent of the contamination that is left behind and the most effective methods to clean the properties for reoccupation.”
The safety dangers of the chemicals used in meth production and the threat they pose to first responders who enter the labs are unknown. At previous hearings witnesses had testified that “there was an urgent need for the research and guidelines provided for in the bill.”
An identical bill introduced by Sens. Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Max Baucus (D-MT) has been referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.