Meth-tainted properties get Web attention

BOISE – Under a proposed regulation, any home used for making methamphetamine in Idaho will be listed on a Web site to warn potential occupants that it may have been contaminated with dangerous chemicals.

Proposed rules to implement the Clandestine Drug Laboratory Cleanup Act that was enacted by the Legislature this year were released Wednesday by the state Department of Health and Welfare.

In a series of eight public meetings around the state, beginning Oct. 11 in Boise, citizens will get a chance to comment on the regulations before they go to the Legislature for ratification.

Law enforcement agencies nationwide have declared methamphetamine abuse their No. 1 problem. Last year 54 meth labs were found in Idaho and officials estimate they are raiding only about 10 percent of existing labs. Chemicals used in meth making can include brake cleaner, engine starter, drain cleaner, lithium, ammonia farm fertilizer and pseudoephedrine from some cold medications.

“Idaho is one of many states that have passed legislation to protect unsuspecting people who may rent or purchase a home from exposure to hazardous chemical residues that result from the operation of a clandestine drug lab,” said Tom Shanahan, a Health and Welfare spokesman. Gov. Dirk Kempthorne signed the bill into law in March.

In the past, Idaho property owners could simply remove a cleanup warning sticker before re-renting or reoccupying the home. State Police have said it’s frustrating to find somebody living in a house where officers have just removed meth-making equipment and chemicals.

According to Idaho’s proposed law, homes listed as contaminated will be posted at the Web site: http://www.healthy.idaho.gov.owners.

Owners of the contaminated properties are responsible for cleanup. Once a residential property meets cleanup standards established by the Health and Welfare Department, the owner is immune from lawsuits involving health claims brought by owners, renters or neighbors.

Other hearings are set for Lewiston on Oct. 12, Coeur d’ Alene on Oct. 13, Twin Falls on Oct. 17, Pocatello on Oct. 18, Idaho Falls on Oct. 19 and Caldwell on Oct. 24.