Former Meth Labs Pose Health Risk to New Residents
By: Cassidy Hodges and Joel Kattner
Updated: February 28, 2012
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality keeps a list of all the properties that are contaminated from methamphetamine production.
While the address is on the list, it's illegal for anyone to live in the home.
There's only one way to get off the list -- clean up the property according to state standards.
But it can be costly and as we found out, it doesn't always happen.
"I'm not supposed to be living here."
It's been more than a year since Lela Rose and her family began calling this Fayetteville duplex home.
"I've cleaned the cabinets of course, but it's still in the back of your mind, maybe they missed a spot," says Rose.
Because just 3 years ago, this living room told a very toxic tale.
It's a story this family didn't know until we knocked on the door.
"Well that's news to me," says Rose.
In 2008, police took products used to make methamphetamine from the house, and it was flagged as a contaminated property, which legally prohibits anyone from entering because of the health hazards these types of chemicals pose.
"You have a lot of red phosphorus, you have solvents, you have uric acid, all these things in and of themselves can be very dangerous but when combined, their by-products can be very dangerous," says Sergeant Jason French, with the Fayetteville Police Department.
The fumes can seep in as deep as the sheet rock, and remain toxic for years.
"It's an expensive process to clean up a meth lab," says French.
Sergeant French tells me, despite the harm, a lot of these properties aren't ever checked, leaving victims like Lela in the dark.
"I didn't do anything wrong, so why should my family have to suffer for something somebody else did," says Rose.
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality maintains the list of contaminated meth houses that need to be cleaned, but ADEQ doesn't have a policing body to make sure houses on the list stay empty.
"I just don't know what I'm supposed to do I mean I can't afford to go out and get a new place, I don't know I'm just kind of stuck," says Rose.
A family trapped in a house, where breathing could be dangerous, even deadly.
"My kids have asthma and my son, you know. I'm worried about both my kids," says Rose.
"If it's not properly cleaned up, it's certainly a concern, especially for children," says French.
And Fayetteville Police tell me the landlord was informed about the situation in 2008, but the house still remains on the ADEQ's list.
"It makes me very mad that they could put mine and my childrens' health in danger like that,. Why do they want to do that to somebody's family that's innocent? I had no clue," says Rose.
We spoke with the management company who signed the initial paperwork back in 2008. They say they did everything correctly.
Since then, the property has changed hands. The new managers told me they never received any paperwork on the hazard.
Police are now trying to figure out who is at fault.
Regardless, the current management say they're moving Lela's family into a new place hopefully this week.
To see if your house is safe, visit http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/hazwaste/branch_programs/clcc_list.asp
The list is ordered by county.
While the address is on the list, it's illegal for anyone to live in the home.
There's only one way to get off the list -- clean up the property according to state standards.
But it can be costly and as we found out, it doesn't always happen.
"I'm not supposed to be living here."
It's been more than a year since Lela Rose and her family began calling this Fayetteville duplex home.
"I've cleaned the cabinets of course, but it's still in the back of your mind, maybe they missed a spot," says Rose.
Because just 3 years ago, this living room told a very toxic tale.
It's a story this family didn't know until we knocked on the door.
"Well that's news to me," says Rose.
In 2008, police took products used to make methamphetamine from the house, and it was flagged as a contaminated property, which legally prohibits anyone from entering because of the health hazards these types of chemicals pose.
"You have a lot of red phosphorus, you have solvents, you have uric acid, all these things in and of themselves can be very dangerous but when combined, their by-products can be very dangerous," says Sergeant Jason French, with the Fayetteville Police Department.
The fumes can seep in as deep as the sheet rock, and remain toxic for years.
"It's an expensive process to clean up a meth lab," says French.
Sergeant French tells me, despite the harm, a lot of these properties aren't ever checked, leaving victims like Lela in the dark.
"I didn't do anything wrong, so why should my family have to suffer for something somebody else did," says Rose.
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality maintains the list of contaminated meth houses that need to be cleaned, but ADEQ doesn't have a policing body to make sure houses on the list stay empty.
"I just don't know what I'm supposed to do I mean I can't afford to go out and get a new place, I don't know I'm just kind of stuck," says Rose.
A family trapped in a house, where breathing could be dangerous, even deadly.
"My kids have asthma and my son, you know. I'm worried about both my kids," says Rose.
"If it's not properly cleaned up, it's certainly a concern, especially for children," says French.
And Fayetteville Police tell me the landlord was informed about the situation in 2008, but the house still remains on the ADEQ's list.
"It makes me very mad that they could put mine and my childrens' health in danger like that,. Why do they want to do that to somebody's family that's innocent? I had no clue," says Rose.
We spoke with the management company who signed the initial paperwork back in 2008. They say they did everything correctly.
Since then, the property has changed hands. The new managers told me they never received any paperwork on the hazard.
Police are now trying to figure out who is at fault.
Regardless, the current management say they're moving Lela's family into a new place hopefully this week.
To see if your house is safe, visit http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/hazwaste/branch_programs/clcc_list.asp
The list is ordered by county.
