|
Cleanup of Illegal Drug Laboratories
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 the local health dept. to determine if the property is safe to inspect and what safety precautions to take.
In many cases, the Indiana State Police Methamphetamine Suppression Unit will assist the local police or sheriff's department with the investigation. The Methamphetamine Suppression Unit is trained and equipped to safely enter and dismantle illegal drug labs.
When the police investigation is complete and all evidence has been collected, a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) contractor is brought in to remove and properly dispose of the equipment and chemicals used in the lab. This contractor does not remove residual contamination from the lab.
The local health department may issue an abatement 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. Property owners are responsible for cleaning up their own property before it is reoccupied or sold.
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.
For More information, visit: http://www.in.gov/idem/programs/land/drug_lab/#safety | 
