Office of Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response

Interim Guidelines and Procedures for Decontamination and Cleanup of Illegal Clandestine Laboratory Methamphetamine Manufacturing Sites (Interim Final - September 2006, Rule Making - December 2007 Permanent Rule - 2008)

BACKGROUND

The Hawaii Legislature members received many requests for addressing the existing properties that were contaminated by illegal methamphetamine (meth) laboratories. Property owners were experiencing rental housing with unknown levels of contamination as a result of the properties being used as clandestine meth laboratories. Hawaii, like many other states was without any guidance for cleaning up the residual contamination from these illegal laboratories.

The 2006 Legislature passed and Governor Linda Lingle signed Act 170 in response to concern over the potential health effects associated with residual methamphetamine left in the environment after the illegal activity. The Act relates to the decontamination of illegal drug manufacturing sites and requires the DOH to establish permanent rules for the clean up of these sites by the end of 2007. Act 170 directs the Department of Health, Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response (HEER) Office to write the cleanup guidance and procedures as interim rules and use them to create permanent rules by the end of 2007.

The draft Technical Guidance provided on this site is the result of searching and evaluating other states' information and feedback from Law enforcement officers during a conference held in Honolulu and two review cycles of these documents. The HEER Office will present the "Interim" guidelines and procedures to the 2007 Legislature.

ELECTRONIC COPIES

HDOH Web Site

HELPFUL Web Sites for more information:

DOH Contact:

Anna Ishikawa Fernandez, Remedial Project Manager
Anna.Fernandez@doh.hawaii.gov
808-586-4249
808-586-4697 (direct)
808-586-7537 (fax)