If you’ve discovered a meth lab in your Indiana property, you may feel lost about what steps to take next. A meth lab poses immense health risks if not properly cleaned up. This situation typically isn’t talked about amongst friends, so you probably have no idea how to move forward; Aegis has your answer.
Fortunately, there’s a regulated step-by-step process to follow to get the harmful chemicals in the property cleaned up, so it is safe to enter. In this article, you’ll learn exactly what you need to do after finding a meth lab in your Indiana property and the number one resource to help you clean it up.
Do Not Enter the Property
The first thing you should do after uncovering an illegal meth lab on your property is to leave immediately. Do not reenter the property until the contamination has been cleaned up and removed.
Not only are the chemicals used to make the drug harmful to your health, but a meth lab is explosive, posing a risk at any time. For these two reasons, absolutely nobody should be in or near the property.
Contact Your Local Authorities
There are two people you must call immediately after getting out of the house. The first is your local health department. You can find your specific county’s number to call here.
You’ll provide your address and let them know that you’ve discovered a meth lab. They will give you instructions on what to do next to have the lab professionally cleaned up and keep you and your family safe.
Next, you’ll want to contact local law enforcement; meth is an illegal drug.
Hire a Certified Clean Up Contractor
After speaking to your local health department and obtaining a list of certified contractors and professionals who can clean up the meth lab, legally, you must hire a contractor who has been certified by the state, or else the property is not considered clean even if the lab has been removed.
A certified contractor abides by all federal and state regulations during the cleanup and removal of the meth lab. They take the necessary precautions to keep you and their employees safe during the cleanup process. It’s a dangerous task requiring expertise and experience.
Once everything has been cleaned up, the contractor will issue a decontamination certificate for you to present to the health department and required authorities. With this certificate, you can reenter the property and live in it safely.
Do not attempt to clean up the meth lab yourself. This is an extremely complicated and precise process that poses many risks and dangers to those not trained or educated in the removal process.
What Does Decontaminated Mean?
While experts can remove the equipment and physical items of a meth lab, it doesn’t necessarily mean the property is clean. For it to be considered completely remediated, the air must test at lower than 0.5g/100cm2. Again, a certified remediation expert will take a reading of the air in your home.
If there are still harmful chemicals in the air, more remediation and cleaning must be done before a decontamination certificate can be issued.
Who is Responsible for the Cleanup?
After discovering an illegal meth lab on your property, your first thought is probably about who is responsible financially for getting rid of any contamination. Since cleaning up requires hiring a certified professional, expect to for the service accordingly. So, who’s responsible for paying these fees?
The property owner is responsible. Even if someone else set up the lab and had no idea it was there, you’re still held liable for any accidents or harm done to others as a result of the contamination. Fortunately, some homeowners insurance policies cover meth lab remediation and cleanup, so you may not be completely on your own to cover the cost.
Don’t Do It Yourself.
As we mentioned before, never try to clean up a meth lab on your own. Instead, contact Aegis Environmental. As certified professionals, we will remediate meth labs in any property and issue a decontamination certificate when appropriate.
After an initial consultation, we’ll create a personalized plan to safely and effectively remove the harmful substances in your home or property. Plus, we’ll work with your insurance company to file any claims concerning the meth lab removal.
Give us a call to discuss how we can help clean up the meth lab in your property with one of our expert team members today.
