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I will be the first to admit that this falls pretty far outside the scope of what we normally cover here on GreenBiz.com, but I really couldn't pass this news up.
Earlier this morning I received the following announcement from the U.S. EPA:
EPA Publishes Voluntary Guidelines for Methamphetamine Laboratory Cleanup
First thought: thank goodness they're voluntary. I certainly wouldn't want to put anyone in charge of enforcing those guidelines in your neighborhood meth labs....
But upon (slightly) further thought, I realized that this is actually pretty important news. Meth is a sadly widely used drug, in part because it's cheap and easy to make, as well as having intense and long-lasting effects.
However, meth labs also use incredibly toxic chemicals in production of the drug, and here's a shocker: meth addicts are not usually your prime candidates for safe and sane manufacturing procedures.
From the EPA's announcement:
The production and use of meth across the U.S. continues to pose considerable challenges. Although there is a decline in the domestic production of meth in recent years, vigilance is warranted because of the destructive nature of meth and the environmental hazards caused by meth labs.
The Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2007 required EPA to develop these guidelines, based on the best currently available knowledge in the field of meth lab remediation.
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The resulting PDF -- available from the EPA's website -- offers 48 pages of highly detailed methods of cleaning out former meth labs. For example: Section 4.9 covers Electrical Fixtures, Outlets and Switch Plate Covers:
It is generally agreed that electrical outlet covers and wall switch plate covers should be replaced. These items are low in cost, tend to be high collection points for meth and also have great potential for repeated human contact. If electrical fixtures are not discarded, wash them using a detergent-water solution (see Section 3.13). Always shut off power before removing electrical fixtures, outlet covers and switch covers. When using wet cleanup methods for electrical fixtures, ensure that the parts handling electricity do not get wet and that the fixtures are completely dry before reassembly.
Detailed best practices for cleaning up meth labs is obviously a much-needed tool, and who knows -- maybe these methods have some benefit for cleaning up highly toxic former manufacturing sites.
Let's hope that the next such report from the EPA covers cleaning up and remediating marijuana farms, which have similarly huge impacts. A sample of headlines: "Deep-forest marijuana farms can damage ecosystem after raids, officials say," "Cartels clear-cutting U.S. national parks for marijuana plantations," and " Illegal Marijuana 'Farms' Result in Major Environmental Damage to Vulnerable Environmental Areas of Parkland."
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Get rid of Meth in the first place
Its too bad Congress is so owned by big pharma that they won't pass a bill that would actually do something about meth, and end any need for clean up regulations. What would that bill look like? It would regulate the sales of amphetamines from manufacturers to wholesalers. Most of these manufacturers are in countries like India who sell boat loads of the stuff to anyone, including Mexican drug cartels.
The law would require that any product containing amphetamines must be traced back to the supplier, if that amphetamines supplier is not in compliance, those drugs can not be sold in the US. It would end the meth trade / problem in the US with a simple, easily enforceable bill.