The rise in the use of Methamphetamine has created a serious public health hazard. Most amphetamines distributed to the black market are produced in clandestine laboratories. Methamphetamine laboratories are, by far, the most frequently encountered clandestine laboratories in the United States.
Methamphetamine is easily produced in clandestine laboratories or meth labs using a variety of common ingredients available in stores. The manufacturing of methamphetamine is called "cooking". Cooking a batch of meth can be very dangerous due to the fact that the chemicals used are volatile and the by-products are very toxic. Meth labs present a danger to the meth cook, the community surrounding the lab, and the law enforcement personnel (or other first responders) who discover the lab.
The cleanup of the chemicals used and the by-products produced, require special handling to ensure the safety of the public and the environment. The State of North Carolina has produced Guidelines for the Decontamination and Re-occupancy for Illegal Methamphetamine Laboratories.
Rules and Regulations
Rules and regulations, effective April 1, 2005, established decontamination standards for property that has been used for the manufacture of methamphetamine. The rules require the responsible party to:
Perform a pre-decontamination assessment to determine the level of contamination and the scope of remediation:
Decontaminate the property; and
Document the activities according to the procedure described in the rules.
The Carteret County Health Department is required to inform the property owner that the property was used as a methamphetamine lab and must be vacated until the remediation actions are completed as outlined in the General Statutes.
The following link is a PDF file which references the Guidelines that The State of North Carolina has produced for the Decontamination and Re-occupancy for Illegal Methamphetamine Laboratories: http://www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/oii/pdf/methguidelines042005.pdf
N.C. General Statutes - Decontamination Standards for Methamphetamine Sites (G.S. § 130A 284)
