Meth Labs
Methamphetamine threatens to overwhelm the High Country's law enforcement, social services, public health facilities and courtrooms. In an effort to control the growing problem, local law enforcement agencies joined together to create a regional task force, the Northwestern North Carolina Methamphetamine Task Force. The task force is a cooperative effort between Watauga, Wilkes and Ashe counties and is joined by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Watauga County Sheriff Mark Shook called the task force a "proactive step in the battle against methamphetamine, which has become the region’s largest crime problem."
A toll free number (1-866-TIPMETH) has been established so people can report suspicious activity that might be related to illegal production of meth.
The Meth problem in the High County is a concern for us all. The high risk of explosion and fire for persons making drugs with family and children present during manufacture, and the situation remains dangerous after the drugs are produced in the form of waste products and contamination of the home/manufacturing area. The overall concern of the Appalachian District Health Department is the safety of individuals, the improper chemical disposal by Meth cooks, the lack of health risk assessment due to contamination levels, proper clean-up, and re-entry by families and individuals into these sites.
New rules and regulations, effective April 1, 2005, established decontamination standards for property that has been used for the manufacture of methamphetamine. These standards require a responsible party to:
- Perform a pre-decontamination assessment to determine the level of contamination and the scope of remediation;
- decontaminate the property; and
- document the activities from the above procedures.
The health department is required to inform the property owner that the property was used as a methamphetamine lab and must be vacated until the remediation actions are completed as outlined in the General Statutes.
Click here for the State rules regarding Illegal Meth Labs for Environmental Health
Occupational & Environmental Epidemiology - Industrial Hygiene Section, Methamphetamine