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In Oregon you would have to disclose that the house had been a meth lab, and required to present any future buyers with the certificate that it had been cleaned up.
Don't forget to factor in the possibility that some unsavory types may not have received word that the place was raided and shut down....you don't want some strung out wacko knocking on your door at 3am wanting to party. And who won't take no for an answer.....
A former user showing up looking to score, was also on the back on my mind.
Poltracker: Thank you for the link. The site also has some good links as well. The one thing that is lacking in all my research is the long term effect of living in a house that has been through remediation. Will the chemicals bleed through the paint? What happens if I poke a hole in the wall?
I am playing phone tag with the Office of Environmental Health and Safety. It will be interesting to see what the EPA comes us with.
A former user showing up looking to score, was also on the back on my mind.
Poltracker: Thank you for the link. The site also has some good links as well. The one thing that is lacking in all my research is the long term effect of living in a house that has been through remediation. Will the chemicals bleed through the paint? What happens if I poke a hole in the wall?
I am playing phone tag with the Office of Environmental Health and Safety. It will be interesting to see what the EPA comes us with.
-JJ
tilli has a good point. Having just studied this very topic for a presentation, I found very little published scientific literature about long term contamination effects of meth or its components and intermediaries in a residential setting. The best one can do is find info on the individual components and look at health effect screening levels and various long-term studies on those.
My feeling is that if the house has been deconned adequately and thoroughly, it is probably safe to inhabit. By thoroughly, I mean that samples indicate ND or not detectable levels for most of the chemicals. New carpet and paint would have some off-gassing so ND might be stretching it depending on the circumstances. Most of the chemicals involved do not have "staying power" for a long length of time and have time-proven methods for deconatmination. This does not account for unseen damages caused by some of the chems such as corrossives on the physical structure of the house. Very little could cause damage to things like plumbing, HVAC systems, appliances, and electrical wiring. The best indicator would be post-decon testing and inspection. I would certainly recommend that you have someone competent look the house over and take samples (including soil) to prove it was clean. I would also look up any police reports and see the descriptions of where exactly the lab was in the house and pay particular attention to those areas.
6 years should be long enough for the residual chemicals to have dispersed. They're fairly volatile from what I've read, which helps. To be honest, if you replace carpet or do other work you'll bring in other trace chemicals (formaldehyde, other VOCs, ...) that would probably be present in larger amounts than whatever is left from the lab 6 years ago anyway.
The bigger point to consider is whether you would have to disclose the past lab years down the road when you sell. Sometimes things fall off after two owners, in other states they don't. You'll have to do some homework to see how your state works.
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