Notorious for noxious odours and even explosions, meth labs pose another danger. Even after a meth lab has been dismantled, the former lab may be a health risk in the building with the residue being toxic for up to five years.
To complicate the issue, neither the police nor public health inspectors test for meth residue in homes suspected of being a meth lab. Testing is up to the homeowner or landlord.
It isn’t always obvious that a property was a former meth lab, but the home poses a health risk for any future residents, says Katie McEntire of Safewise, an organization that helps homeowners discover if they’re buying a former meth house.
“A newly refinished house might not have any visible signs of prior meth production, but you never know what could be under the surface.”
Dangerous chemicals may be lurking
Authorities may never discover a meth lab but once the meth cooks vacate the premises the toxic residue remains.
According to the Centre for Disease Control, the residue can be toxic for up to five years. New occupants unaware of the building’s previous history become exposed to residual methamphetamine and chemicals used in its production. The residue lingers on surfaces, furniture upholstery, walls, floors, ventilation systems, and clothing.
The CDC published a study (Jackie Wright, PhD Michaela E. Kenneally John W. Edwards, PhD, and G. Stewart Walker, PhD) about adverse health effects from living in a former meth lab. They discovered that the residue also contaminates new items brought into the property and the residue can travel more than 13 feet.
According to the CDC, the adverse health effects include respiratory illnesses, difficulty breathing, eye, skin and throat irritations, skin rashes, irritability, anxiety, sleeplessness, weight loss, persistent cough, dizziness, and nausea. Exposure may also cause cancer. The hazards are greater for crawling or walking toddlers because of their hand-to-mouth behaviours.
Increasing public health problem
Clandestine meth labs are a growing public health concern.
Terry* moved into a suite in a Saskatchewan city and strongly suspected a meth lab was in operation in the building.
Terry had noticed the strange smell in the building that came and went. It wasn’t there every day, just some days. And on July 25, after getting home from a camping trip, the odour was stronger than it had ever been.
“It was like rotten eggs and cat urine,” said Terry, adding it caused an instant headache.
Terry slept from 12:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. the next day.
“I had a hard time waking up. I was very weak, lethargic, my head was hurting, my eyes were burning and my throat was burning.”
Terry felt nauseated and vomited and had a difficult time breathing.
Concerned, Terry went to the hospital.
“They gave me an inhaler for my lungs and said I had issues with my liver.”
Terry found it odd to have lung and liver problems after being healthy when moving into the suite three months prior.
“I’m a non-smoker, non-drinker. I eat healthy.”
The emergency room doctor told Terry not to return to the suite and stay with family or get a hotel.
“I spent Saturday night and Sunday in a hotel.”
Terry said the strange smell was noticeable a few times in the building before, but it was never as strong as it was that day. Terry’s daughter had visited previously and also noticed the smell on a few occasions. She said it was the unmistakable chemical smell of meth cooking.
Terry called 911 on July 25 when the smell was the strongest, which eventually forced a visit to the hospital emergency department. The police didn’t show up Saturday. Terry called them again late Sunday. They still didn’t arrive. Finally, late Monday an officer came to the suite.
Terry said the officer commented, ‘I don’t smell any chemical smell.’
“I told them it’s too late and if they would have come on Saturday or Sunday they would have smelled it.”
RCMP says they take all complaints seriously
The RCMP takes all complaints of clandestine meth labs seriously, Cst. Jim Ferguson from the Saskatchewan RCMP Federal, Serious and Organized Crime Unit, said in a phone interview Aug. 7.
Cst. Ferguson said police try to corroborate a complaint through several avenues.
“Witness accounts, physical surveillance, background of residents, stuff like that we look at.”
Clandestine methamphetamine laboratories can be set up in everything from residential homes and hotel rooms to storage sheds and even a car trunk.
If the RCMP obtains access to a building where there is a report of a suspected meth lab - either through the landlord or a search warrant - police only look for signs of a current meth lab and they don’t test for meth residue to see if the home was used and is contaminated.
“When we are going in we are looking for an active meth lab,” said Cst. Ferguson. “We are not testing walls or anything like that or taking anything apart. We are more focused on an actual lab.”
Cst. Ferguson didn’t have any statistics on how prevalent meth houses are in Saskatchewan.
Public health investigates
Terry also filed a complaint with public health. They informed the landlord that they were going into the building Aug. 4. But Terry said by then the tenants suspected of cooking meth had cleaned up and moved out.
Public Health offices in the province don’t actually test for meth residue either.
Kaitlyn Abel, Communications Consultant for Saskatchewan Ministry of Health said any concerns about illegal activity in a residence should be brought to local law enforcement.
“It is the owner’s responsibility to remediate a property if it is damaged or contaminated,” said Abel on Aug. 12. “This includes remediation from mold, sewer backup and drug production.”
Abel said Public Health Inspectors may be involved in the assessment of a health hazard in a rental property or a private home, but wouldn’t enter a potential crime scene to make any health hazard determination.
Left holding the bag
Terry is angry, left feeling the authorities didn’t help.
Terry was forced to put all belongings into storage and leave the suite to find somewhere else to live.
Meth houses on the market
McEntire warns consumers that meth houses being sold on the market tend to be much cheaper than other properties and they can lower the value of homes in the entire neighbourhood.
The Saskatchewan Realtors Association was asked if they have measures in place to prevent the sale of properties that were former meth labs and not properly decontaminated. They didn’t immediately respond.
The Alberta Real Estate Association commissioned a report more than a decade ago called Recommendations for the Assessment and Remediation of Properties Used as Illegal Drug Operations. The report came up with recommendations to help the Alberta government establish provincial standards.
Health Canada was asked if there are any nation-wide remediation guidelines for homes that were used as illegal drug operations. They didn’t immediately respond.
What you can do if you suspect meth residue
Homeowners or occupiers of a residence who suspect their house is contaminated from a prior meth lab can hire an occupational hygienist to test for unseen meth residue or they can order a meth residue test kit online.
What you can do if you suspect an active lab
If anyone suspects a property is currently being used for a meth lab, they can contact Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN). They have investigation units in Saskatoon and Regina. For Saskatoon call 1-855-933-6411 and for Regina call 1-866-51-SAFER.
Some signs of illegal activity to watch for include frequent visitors, blackened windows or curtains always drawn, unfriendly people who appear secretive, strange odours coming from the building, and garbage that contains an unusually large number of bottles or containers.
SCAN laws first came into effect in Manitoba and have since been enacted in Saskatchewan, Alberta, B.C., the Yukon, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
SCAN units have tremendous power when investigating complaints. They can issue warnings, pursue the landlords and ask a court to issue a Community Safety Order to board up the property for 90 days.
*Name changed
