Meth in the Midlands: Decontaminating Meth Labs

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “We’ve been in homes where there have been cooks and they are wealthy and very pristine and then we go in other places that are very tragic,” says Scotty Salter, Owner of Hisco Environmental, LLC. Part of Salter’s job is to clean-up meth labs. “Methamphetamine has traditionally been a rural, white drug abuse problem,” says Sheriff Jim Matthews, Kershaw County The “Tribal Waste Journal” published by the EPA in 2008 backs up that claim, but adds labs are multiplying nationwide. “We’ve seen the growth of meth labs grow,” says Salter Salter decontaminates meth locations in South Carolina and nationwide after the labs are removed. “It’s a endless spectrum as far as what we encounter,” says Salter For Gross Decontamination of Meth materials, separate from clean-up, SLED has contracts with two companies in the state. According to the EPA, chemicals used in the cooking of meth can cause caner, damage to the brain, kidneys, liver and more. “If we don’t suit up and wear proper PPA, it can be deadly,” says Salter Because of that, Salter’s company removes everything from the homes then treats the walls and floors. “We treat it with a formula that was developed by the United States Defense Department to neutralize weapons of mass destruction,” says Salter But, not all clean-ups are as thorough and there are no laws governing the clean-up process. According to SLED, only guidelines are issued by the EPA. Take for instance the case of the Holt Family of Tennessee, showcased in the New York Times in 2009. “When they were engaged, they found a house, they got married and bought it. They had some children and those children were staying in the hospital,” says Salter Salter says the home later tested off the charts for meth. He also says unless properly cleaned, the chemicals won’t go away. Take for instance a story from his colleague in Idaho. “There had been a cook in that house in 1999 and it was still testing off the charts and that was year before last,” says Salter Salter says his company is advocating to have a law passed in South Carolina to govern the clean-up of meth labs. In all his work nationwide, Salter says, Tennessee has the most stringent clean-up guidelines.