Meth Lab Remediated Properties

[flyingvan]

  A different thread had a brief discussion about cheap land that may have supported a methamphetamine operation.  Before the helicopter gig I worked with SDPD SWAT as a tactical medic and eventually as a hazmat specialist.  San Diego County used to be a hotbed of meth production and we saw our share of meth houses.  You could always spot them---foil on the windows, a Camaro in the driveway (usually on wheel blocks) tons of disassembled bicycles...If you go inside it's a wreck and there's porn and Coors Light cans all over the floor.  Some of you may remember a response we went on involving a tweaker stealing a National Guard tank.....

  Making meth is pretty darned easy.  The difference between methamphetamine and pseudoephedrine is a single 'OH' hydroxyl stripped from the molecule, then it's gotta be turned back into a hydrochloride or it won't be absorbed.
  We'd get called because the new property owner would discover a evil looking pit in the yard with a neon yellow crusty crud in it.  Might even smell bad.  This isn't really a hazardous material--most likely it's all the cornstarch separated from the pseudofed pills, representing the biggest volume of waste (from a haz-been's perspective, everything is a poison, it comes down to dosage.  Even the cleanest water is fatal if inhaled).
   The other possible wastes depend on the method used to strip the hydroxyl.  Sometimes lithium would be harvested from camera batteries, and used to pull the OH's away.  If this is the case the lithium has already reacted and isn't much of a hazard (still worth calling a waste hauler to handle)  Another method ('Nazi' method) used drain cleaner like 'Red Devil'---pure red phosphor.  If there seems to be red/purple staining somewhere, again---get the professional cleaners out.  (Note---anyone very familiar with this process---I know I've left out key steps and ingredients.  Please don't fill in the blanks.  I'm all for owner/building houses, but do not wish to in any way ecourage owner/builder pharmaceuticals)
   The other stage of production, turning it into a hydrochloride, produces lots of toxic wastes.  I've been to a house full of dead people because of inadequate ventilation.  Nice thing about volatiles is they go away on their own.  The HCL is generated from white gas, regular gas, even rat poison.  And people put this crap in their bodies.....If you suspect a former meth operation on a bargain property have the spetic system carefully checked to make sure they weren't dumping runoff down the drain.
   Evalutate from a distance---are there areas where plants will not grow?  Are there dead birds all over?  (If birds fly over your property and die in mid air that's a bad sign unless you're shooting at them)  Any odd odors?  What do the neghbors say about the previous tenants?
   It's worth a mention, too, about booby traps.  Habitual users tend to get paranoid (horrible acne, teeth falling out, emaciation too) and they set up some pretty elaborate booby traps.  We'd approach with a can of silly string, spraying it out ahead of us---it's highly visible and light and will drape over trip wires.  Improvised pressure switches under carpets, tiger traps, and so on weren't unusual. 
   If you're getting an incredibly great price on a property, just follow due diligence!

[Rob_O]

If birds fly over your property and die in mid air that's a bad sign

[Whitlock]

Very good advise Flyingvan
Living close to ground zero of the meth capital of the world.
It is useful.
I must add that some times these cookers do this in abandon buildings or out in the woods so if you come across any of the above mentioned things you might want to call the proper authorities.

[rick91351]

In Idaho there has been a rash of abandoned camp trailers.  They pick them up for a couple hundred $s pull them out into desert wash or a cheep - cheep camp ground.  And cook it baby cook it....  Then leave ..........