Methamphetamine manufacturing facilities or meth labs can be found at many locations unbeknownst to the property owner. HCI has been called to various locations including, residential rental properties, apartment complexes, commercial buildings and clandestine areas such as the middle of the desert of forest.
Unfortunately, once found, the property owner is responsible for the clean-up of the site regardless of who created the lab. Site clean-up standards are very strict from a regulatory aspect. There are multiple steps necessary once identified. In most cases an inspection must be performed by an individual with a professional designation. Then a work plan must be written, submitted and approved by the agency overseeing the clean-up. Once the work plan is approved, the work can be performed. A confirmatory inspection must be performed in addition to with meeting sampling and analysis requirements. In the event the analysis comes back contaminated, an additional decontamination may be required prior to being reoccupied.
As you can see, clean-ups of this nature are costly and should be avoided at all costs. Based on past experience, HCI recommends all owner’s to perform regular inspections at your properties on a regular basis looking for unusual activity. Some items to look for are odd odors coming from the property at different times or odd hours and full or empty chemical containers of any type, to include corrosives and/or solvents such as acetone (a major component of manufacturing methamphetamine).
In the event you are required to have a clean-up performed, HCI maintains all the proper licensing, permitting and training required.