Short answer
If you suspect a property was used as a meth lab, leave the building, do not touch containers, equipment or stains, and call 911 or local law enforcement if there are chemicals, strong odors or signs of active production. Keep everyone out, do not start cleaning or painting, notify your insurer and local health department, and gather records so a qualified sampler and cleanup contractor can plan the work.
Signs that should make you stop and step outside
Many people discover a former lab by accident. A landlord opens a unit after a tenant leaves. A new owner pulls up carpet. A maintenance worker notices something odd in a garage or shed. The signs can be subtle or obvious.
Warning signs can include chemical odors that are sharp, sweet or like cat urine; containers of solvents, acids or fuels in unusual places; glassware, tubing or burners; stained or etched sinks and tubs; yellow or brown staining on walls and ceilings; blacked-out or covered windows; and vents or fans rigged in odd ways.
If you see chemicals, equipment or containers, or if the air makes your eyes burn or your head ache, leave the building right away. Do not stay to take more photographs or investigate.
Take anyone with you, including children and pets, and close the door behind you if you can do so without touching anything.
Who should you call first?
If there are signs of an active lab, stored chemicals, fire, smoke or anyone feeling ill, call 911. Tell the dispatcher what you saw and smelled, and that you suspect a drug lab. Emergency responders have procedures and equipment for these situations.
The dangers are real. The Office for Victims of Crime at the US Department of Justice reported in 2003 that approximately 15 percent of meth labs are discovered as a result of a fire or explosion. Chemicals used in manufacture can be flammable, corrosive or toxic, and disturbing them can create new hazards.
If the signs point to a past lab with no active chemicals present, contact your local law enforcement non-emergency line and your local health or environmental department. Many jurisdictions have procedures for reporting suspected former labs, and some require that the property be placed under restriction until it is cleaned.
If you are not sure which agency handles former labs where you live, the non-emergency police line or your county health department can point you to the office that does.
What to avoid while you wait
It is natural to want to do something. Most of the helpful actions are about what not to do.
- Do not touch, move, open or pour out any container, even if it looks empty.
- Do not turn on fans, the heating or cooling system, or electrical switches if you smell strong chemicals.
- Do not start cleaning, painting, pulling carpet or removing drywall.
- Do not let tenants, family members, buyers or contractors walk through.
- Do not take items from the property to another home or vehicle.
- Do not pour anything down drains or dispose of anything in household trash.
Why shouldn't you clean up a former lab yourself?
Meth residue is invisible and spreads easily. Walking through rooms, moving furniture and wiping surfaces can carry it into areas that were clean. Painting can hide stains without reducing residue, and it can complicate later sampling.
Injuries are a real concern, too, because leftover chemicals can burn skin, ignite or react with ordinary cleaning products. Improvised cleanup of an unknown chemical scene is not worth that risk.
Professional remediation follows a sequence built around sampling, containment, washing or removal, and clearance testing. Starting before that sequence begins can make the professional work harder and more expensive.
If you have already done some cleaning before realizing what you were dealing with, stop now and tell the sampler and contractor exactly what you did. It helps them interpret results and plan the work.
Securing the property and starting a record
Once any emergency response is complete and authorities allow you to act, focus on keeping people out. Lock doors and windows, change locks if former occupants still have keys and post a simple notice if your jurisdiction requires or allows one.
If the property is a rental, notify the remaining tenants in writing if they share any systems or spaces with the affected unit, and consult your local health department about next steps for them. Hold off on showing the unit or signing a new lease.
If you just bought the home and discovered its history after closing, do not move in or continue living there until you have sampling results. Stay elsewhere if you can, and talk with your doctor about any symptoms your household has experienced.
Documentation will matter to the sampler, the contractor, your insurer and possibly an attorney. Start a folder with the following: police or incident report numbers; any notice or order from a health department; the lease, tenant contact information and move-out dates if the property was rented; purchase documents and seller disclosures if you recently bought it; and your own dated notes about what you saw and when.
Take a few photographs from doorways or outside the property if it is safe to do so, but do not go back inside to get better shots. Authorities or the sampler can document interior conditions properly.
Call your insurance agent to report the situation and request a complete copy of your policy with all endorsements. Ask what the carrier needs before any work begins.
Keep a simple call log as well: the date, the person you spoke with, the agency or company and what they told you. In the confusion of the first few days, that log will keep instructions from different agencies straight.
An illustration: a turnover inspection that stopped short
The following is a composite illustration, not a real call. A property manager arrives at a rental house to prepare it for new tenants. In the garage, she finds plastic tubs of liquid, a camp stove, coffee filters with reddish stains and a strong chemical smell.
She steps outside immediately, closes the garage door and calls 911. Firefighters and police respond, confirm the presence of lab materials and arrange for a hazardous materials team to remove them. The house is placed under a health department restriction.
The manager changes the locks, notifies the owner and the insurer and cancels the incoming tenants' move-in date. She collects the lease, the prior tenants' contact details and the police report number, and hires an independent sampler once the restriction paperwork explains the next steps.
The details are illustrative, but they reflect the order that keeps people safe and preserves the owner's options.
Notice what she did not do. She did not carry the tubs outside, open windows to air out the garage or ask a handyman to haul things away. Each of those well-meant steps could have injured someone or spread contamination through the house.
What should you ask when you call a cleanup contractor?
When you are ready to call contractors, ask whether they are certified or licensed in your state if that is required, whether sampling will be done by an independent party, which clearance standard they will target and how they handle a failed clearance round.
Ask how quickly they can begin preliminary sampling and whether bulk chemical removal has been completed. Remediation contractors typically work after law enforcement or a hazardous materials team has removed chemicals and equipment, not instead of them.
Be wary of anyone who offers to come out tonight and make the problem disappear. Urgency matters for safety and security, but the cleanup itself depends on sampling results and, in many places, an approved work plan. A contractor who skips those steps to start sooner may leave you with a property that cannot be cleared, rented or sold.
Ask each contractor what they need from you before they can schedule the preliminary visit. Typical requests include confirmation that bulk chemicals are gone, a copy of any health department order, access arrangements and the name of the person authorized to sign the work plan. Having those ready shortens the wait.
Taking care of yourself
Finding a former lab can be frightening and disorienting, especially if you or your family lived there. Focus on the next right step rather than the whole process. Keep people out, call the right agencies, gather your documents and rely on qualified professionals for the rest.
If you or anyone in your household has symptoms such as headaches, breathing problems, skin irritation or unusual fatigue, talk with a doctor and mention the possible exposure.
Clothing, shoes and bags you carried out of the property may hold residue. Keep them sealed in a plastic bag, away from your other belongings, until the contractor can advise you on whether to launder or discard them.
