Clandestine Lab Cleanup (Methamphetamine Lab)
Visit us at http://www.natlenvtrainers.com
What is a Clandestine Lab? What is a Meth Lab? Do the two differ? The production and use of methamphetamine (meth) across the United States continues to pose considerable challenges to our nation. Meth is easy to make, is highly addictive and its production and use can have serious impacts on both human health and the environment. Despite a decline in domestic meth production in recent years, vigilance is warranted not only because of the destructive nature of meth itself, but also due to the significant environmental hazards meth laboratories (labs) generate.
Partial Labs
The manufacture of meth is a multi-stage process. In some cases, the various steps are performed in more than one lab or structure. For example, unrefined drug precursors may be chemically altered in one location and used in the final steps of the meth manufacture process later at a different location. Labs in which only a partial step of the meth manufacturing process was performed are called "partial labs." The remediation process described in this document accounts for the possibility that precursor chemicals, in addition to meth, may be present in the structure. While each lab should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, the remediation techniques contained in our HAZWOPER course are applicable to partial labs.