IDEM: Drug Lab Cleanup

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Governor Mitch Daniels

IDEM > Environmental Cleanup > Drug Lab Cleanup Cleanup of Illegal Drug Labs

Introduction
Hazards and Health Effects
Safety for Property Owners
How Indiana Responds to Illegal Drug Labs
Indiana's New Rule for Cleaning Up Illegal Drug Labs
How to Clean Up Your Property
How to Find a Qualified Inspector
- Qualified Inspectors List for Illegal Drug Lab Cleanups
Training
Disposal
Are Children Involved?
Links
Contacts

Introduction

Drug lab fume hood (courtesy of Indiana State Police)

Clandestine drug labs are found in every state across the country. These labs are set up in homes, storage units, apartments, hotel/motel rooms, boats, and mobile homes. After a drug lab bust, the Indiana State Police and the Drug Enforcement Agency work to remove bulk chemicals and drug making equipment from the site. However, residual contamination may remain because the hazardous chemicals that are used in the manufacture of drugs can cause contamination of porous wall and floor coverings, heat and air conditioning vents, and furnishings. In many cases, new occupants moving into former drug labs are unaware of the problem.

Without decontamination, the risk of exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals is likely. To address this problem, the State of Indiana enacted legislation to protect future occupants from exposure to illegal drug lab chemicals. Among other things, this law requires stores that sell cold medications containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient of methamphetamine, to keep them behind the counter and to keep records of sales of those medications.

Illegal drug labs have become a growing problem in Indiana. In 1999, Indiana law enforcement agencies investigated 177 illegal drug labs. By 2004, that number rose to 1549. Totals for 2005 and 2006 have dropped some, but illegal drug labs remain a significant problem (Indiana Criminal Justice Institute enforcement facts and figures).

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) publishes a list of addresses of some Indiana locations where law enforcement agencies reported they found chemicals or other items that indicated the presence of either clandestine drug laboratories or dumpsites.

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Hazards and Health Effects

Illegal drug labs are extremely hazardous to occupants and neighbors. Persons who manufacture illegal drugs use a wide variety of hazardous materials including flammable solvents, acids, strong caustics, combustible metals, and anhydrous ammonia. Many of these are inhalation hazards and others can cause severe burns. The manufacturing processes produce a number of hazardous chemicals that can injure or kill at low concentrations. Illegal drug labs routinely burn down or explode, endangering occupants and neighbors. In addition, the drug users who occupy these labs often leave behind trash and used hypodermic needles.

The National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, Colorado has published a series of studies on the health effects of exposure to contamination from methamphetamine manufacturing.

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Safety for Property Owners

If you own, or represent the owner of, property that has been used as an illegal drug lab, DO NOT ENTER the property until the local health department or a qualified inspector have determined it is safe to enter. After the chemicals and equipment used in the lab have been removed, talk to your local health department to determine if the property is safe to inspect and what safety precautions to take.

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How Indiana Responds to Illegal Drug Labs

When an illegal drug lab is discovered, it is reported to the local law enforcement agency. That agency will terminate the drug lab and take into custody any persons they find who are violating Indiana laws. The local fire department and emergency medical services will assist the police department or sheriff's office. The law enforcement agency that terminates the drug lab reports that lab to the local health department.

In many cases, the Indiana State Police Methamphetamine Suppression Unit will assist the local police or sheriff's department with the investigation. The Meth Suppression Unit also assists with dismantling, removal and disposal of the lab contents. The Methamphetamine Suppression Unit is trained and equipped to safely enter and dismantle illegal drug labs. However, they do not remove residual contamination from the lab.

The Department of Child Services will ensure that any children involved receive proper care under the Indiana Drug Endangered Children Response Protocol.

The local health department may issue an abatement order or condemnation order for the property. That order may prohibit occupancy of the property until the property has been cleaned and is no longer hazardous to occupy. The local health department can help the property owner and occupants determine if the property is safe to live in. If you have questions, contact your local health department.

Property owners are responsible for cleaning up their own property before it is reoccupied or sold. Qualified inspectors listed on this website can help property owners clean their property so it can be reoccupied or sold.

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Indiana's New Illegal Drug Lab Cleanup Rule

In 2005, the Indiana General Assembly passed a new law to deal with the growing problem of illegal drug labs (Public Law 192-2005, Senate Enrolled Act 444). That law was written to help combat addiction to methamphetamine and other illegal drugs and to help reduce some of the damage from abuse of those drugs by:

requiring law enforcement agencies that terminate drug labs to report the existence and location of the labs to the State Police and local health departments
placing restrictions and controls on the sale of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine by requiring retailers to keep medications containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine behind a counter, in a locked case or directly in front of a pharmacy counter that has video surveillance, and
requiring IDEM to create and maintain a list of persons qualified to inspect and clean property that is contaminated by chemicals used in the illegal manufacture of a controlled substance and to develop rules for how those cleanups should be done.

In response to that law, IDEM has developed new rules that:

Require persons who own property that was used for the illegal manufacture of a controlled substance to clean up the property before selling or reoccupying the property.
Set criteria for persons to become qualified to clean up these properties.
Set standards for cleanup and inspection of these properties.
Provide the owner with tangible evidence that the property has been cleaned up.

The new illegal drug lab cleanup rule was effective on March 23, 2007. Read the final rule in the Indiana Register [PDF], or in the Indiana Administrative Code.

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How to Clean Up Your Property

If you own property that was used as an illegal drug lab, you have three options under the new rule:

You may hire a qualified inspector to do an initial assessment of the property to determine how much cleanup will be required. That inspector can decontaminate the property, or help you hire a cleanup contractor and supervise the decontamination. When the cleanup is complete, the qualified inspector will test the property and, if the final decontamination levels have been met, issue you a Certificate of Decontamination showing the cleanup is complete.
You may remove all potentially contaminated material from the property and have a qualified inspector document the removal in a Certificate of Decontamination. Removal of contaminated materials may be combined with decontamination. This will allow you and the qualified inspector to develop the most cost-effective way to clean up your property.
You may demolish the property using a demolition contractor.

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How to Find a Qualified Inspector

Use the Qualified Inspector List to find an inspector. Each inspector on the list has met all the requirements in the proposed illegal drug lab cleanup rule to be a qualified inspector. Pay attention to the geographic area the inspector operates in, and the services each inspector provides.

Listing on this web site certifies that a qualified inspector meets all requirements of the new illegal drug lab cleanup rule in 318 IAC 1. IDEM does not endorse any specific company, nor does IDEM regulate or control fees for cleanup and inspection services. We recommend that you get estimates from more than one inspector before signing a contract.

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Training for Qualified Inspectors

IDEM conducts training for qualified inspectors on a periodic basis. This training includes information on Indiana's new illegal drug lab cleanup rule, health and safety requirements, sampling and lab analysis, waste disposal, and cleanup techniques and considerations.

IDEM has scheduled the next qualified inspector training for February 17, 2009 at the Indiana Government Center - South. Contact IDEM for more information about this training or to be notified of upcoming classes by phone at 800-451-6027 or by email at info at idem.IN.gov.

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Disposal

While the waste materials resulting from cleanup of an illegal drug lab can be very harmful, they are not usually a HAZARDOUS WASTE as defined by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). In most cases, these wastes can be disposed of in a municipal solid waste landfill that is permitted under 329 IAC 10.

Contact IDEM (800-451-6027) if you have questions about disposing of wastes from illegal drug labs.

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Are Children Involved?

The Indiana Department of Child Services and other Indiana agencies have developed procedures to deal with children who are affected by an illegal drug lab. If children have been affected by an illegal drug lab, contact the Department of Child Services office in your county or city.