Not knowing how much methamphetamine residues remained within the residence and/or if the residues had degraded over this extended time, BioMax performed additional surface sampling within the residence and determined that the concentrations from 2002 to 2011 had in fact, NOT changed significantly and remained at similar levels on representative surfaces sampled after this extended period of time. Then in 2011 BioMax was contacted to reinitiate the project on behalf of the owners who now wanted to sell the property based on increased property values. Unfortunately (or “fortunately” for the purposes of this study) the homeowners did not have the funds to contract the cleanup, so the property remained red-tagged, boarded, and idle without occupants for over 8 years. These levels exceeded the (now) current California cleanup criteria standard of < 1.5 ug/100cm2 and required cleanup under the authority of the local health department. What was found were concentrations of methamphetamine residues ranging from 10 to 100 micrograms per 100 cm2 present within accessible surfaces within the residence. A third-party consultant was then hired to perform a preliminary sampling assessment of the interior and basement areas of the residence. The clandestine drug lab site was discovered by law enforcement and red-tagged by the local health department. In answering that question, I had the fortunate opportunity to participate manage a project where a methamphetamine lab was discovered in 2002 within a vacation residence in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. This is a very important question when it comes to the cleanup of sites years after discovery and/or if the owners find out that their site or (residence) was contaminated by previous occupants.
As BioMax Environmental’s Senior Certified Industrial Hygienist, I have frequently been asked… “How long does Methamphetamine residue contamination last on surfaces and do these concentrations change (do they degrade/lessen) over time?”
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