Lissa Uder, Your Lebanon MO Real Estate Agent

It was 11:55 this morning and I heard the sound of my cell phone ring above the storm sirens that had been sounding for about 15 minutes. It was Ozzy's "Dreamer" coming through the tiny speaker on the phone and I know it isn't family calling. I have this tone set for numbers my phone does not recognize. For a brief moment, I wonder if I should stop gathering up essentials and see who is calling in the middle of the storm. I answer and hear the sound of my daughter's voice asking "Mom? You're not cleaning are you?" I have a habit of cleaning the house in the middle of bad storms and tornado watches. I chuckle and ask "where are you?". She giggles and says "under a table with everyone piled up on top of me." She was in a class at school. I feel that is a safe place for her.

A few hours later, the storm appears to be over. It had ran north of town and the severe part missed us. Thank goodness. The day can go on as usual. We have another system moving in, but it will be a little while. My husband decides he wants to go to a gun shop abut 30 miles from here, so we head out. After about 10 minutes, it starts to rain so hard we could barely see 30 feet ahead of us, but my husband being the stubborn man he is, keeps driving. I nervously sit in the passenger seat watching as the water fills yards and ditches.

We make it to the store just to find them closed and turn around to head home. By this time, every 1/4 mile or so, there was 4-8 inches of water over the road. The fields have turned to rivers. Bluffs into waterfalls. I can't wait to get home. My cell rings again, playing the "Dreamer" tone. I suspect it to be my daughter telling me they have canceled her evening class due to the weather. Her phone is out of minutes and she is using a friend's. I answer and there is no body there. I try to call the number back, to no avail. A pre-recorded message stating the customer I am trying to reach is not available. Now, I'm getting really nervous. Redial. Redial. Redial.

As we get close to town, we notice traffic is backed up about a half mile outside of town and decide to divert to a road around the traffic. This one leads right in front of the school that houses kindergarden and 1st grades. It is also full of traffic and parked cars on both sides of the road. Up ahead, in the parking lot I see red and blue lights in the parking lot close to the bus shed. As my eyes search for a reason, I spot the school bus lying on it's side in the middle of the lot. Nervousness turns to near panic as I still cannot reach my daughter. This is about the time she is transferring busses at this very location. Redial. Redial....ring, ring, "Hi Mom, where are you?". Thank God! She is still at the high school. They hadn't released the students because of the weather. We make a right at the end of the street and head to pick her up. Relief washes over me as she gets into the van. Time to head home. I hear the sherrif on the radio report that there were no injuries except for the driver of the overturned bus, who had been transported to the local hospital.

After the storms are over, we head out on the road with my camera to look at the damage. The city says it was caused by 70 mile per hour wind, but it's so localized it appears to have been a tornado. There were no sirens. No warning.

5 homes are without roofs tonight. Some are covered in tarps and others with people on them trying to repair what they can. Debris lines the fences, yards, and vacant lots surrounding these homes. A carport on top of a house. Two of the school band trailers were picked up and tossed into the empty field behind the school. Total damage. The awning on the school ripped off, chainlink fence picked up out of the concrete, 1/2 inch bolts and all. Shattered glass all over the parking lot.

I am thankful tonight for many things. Primarily that there have been no fatalities reported from this rude visit from mother nature.

A generalized cleaning will not remove the toxic waste and chemical residue of Meth production. Do not try to clean it yourself! Even law enforcement and other first responders face health risks when they enter a lab before it is cleaned or ventilated, unless they are protected by Haz-Mat gear. If not properly decontaminated, anyone who moves into a former lab site will be exposed to all the health dangers associated with Meth, as mentioned in part 1 of this series.

There are five major methods of an indoor meth lab cleanup. The method used will depend on the what chemicals are found, the processes used, and how long the lab was active. It is possible in rare cases, that the building be demolished in order to clean up the contaminates. Most situations, though, will require a combination of the following recommended measures.

Ventilation: When solvents and other chemicals that may have soaked into the walls are slowly vaporizing indoors, ventilation may reduce contamination and decrease odors.

Removal: Furnishings, draperies, carpeting, paneling, wallpaper, and other porous items that evaluators believe cannot be cleaned using other methods must be disposed of according to the type and degree of contamination. Some materials may not be suitable for landfill disposal but will have to be disposed of by a licensed contractor.

Neutralization: Where acids or bases have been used, the potential for harmful effects may be reduced or removed through neutralization. Acids may be neutralized with solutions of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), and bases may be neutralized by using weakly acidic solutions of vinegar or acetic acid in water.

Detergent-Water Washing: Some nonporous and semi-porous surfaces, such as floors, tiles, walls and ceilings, can be scrubbed with detergent and water solutions.

Encapsulation or Sealing: For some surfaces, contamination may be covered with layers of oil-based paint, polyurethane or other approved materials.

It is important to keep in mind that the type(s) of cleaning necessary depends on a variety of factors. What may be appropriate in one situation will not be acceptable in the next.

After the residence has been cleaned using these guidelines, it is advisable to have your property evaluated and tested. Especially If you are concerned about any remaining contamination, or if your property still has an odor, visible staining, or causes physical irritation to those exposed. Also, if you are concerned with liability issues, you should consider having the property tested. Sampling is an expensive option, but may provide peace of mind for property owners and families. You may want to contact your insurance carrier for advice and assistance.

If you fail to disclose the meth history of the property and/or fail to have it properly cleaned, the matter could end up in litigation. If you find a meth lab on your property, please save time, money, stress, and possibly the life of another by having it properly cleaned.

Property Owners-Be Aware Of Meth Labs

Property Owners-Be Aware Of Meth Labs (Part 2) Common Ingredients

Property Owners-Be Aware Of Meth Labs (Part 3) Recognizing A Lab

The ingredients used to make methamphetamine in clandestine laboratories are generally household products that by themselves present little danger, but when combined can have serious toxic and explosive effects.

If you came in contact with a methamphetamine lab operation, how would you know it? What ingredients and equipment would be present? What should you do if you find a meth lab? Learn the signs of a potential Meth lab to protect your family and your property from catastrophic damage:

• A strong smell that might resemble urine, or an unusual chemical smell like ether, ammonia or acetone.
• Little or no traffic during the day, but lots of traffic at extremely late hours.
• Extra efforts made to cover windows or reinforce doors.
• Residents never putting their trash out.
• Lab materials surrounding the property (lantern fuel cans, red chemically stained coffee filters, clear glass jugs and duct tape).
• Vehicles loaded with trunks, chemical containers, or basic chemistry paraphernalia - glassware, rubber tubing, etc.
• Laboratory glassware being carried into the residence.
• Inhabitants smoking outside due to fumes.
• Propane tanks with fittings that have turned blue.
• An usual amount of cold tablet containers that list ephedrine or pseudoephedrine as ingredients.
• Jars containing clear liquid with a white or red colored solid on the bottom.
• Jars containing iodine or dark shiny metallic purple crystals inside of jars.
• Jars containing red phosphorus or a fine dark red or purple powder.
• Coffee filters containing a white pasty substance, a dark red sludge, or small amounts of shiny white crystals.
• Bottles containing sulfuric, muriatic or hydrochloric acid.
• Bottles or jars with rubber tubing attached (including soft drink bottles).
• Glass cookware or frying pans containing a powdery residue.
• An large number of cans of camp fuel, paint thinner, acetone, starter fluid, lye, and drain cleaners containing sulfuric acid or bottles containing muriatic acid.
• Large amounts of lithium batteries, especially ones that have been stripped.
• Soft silver or gray metallic ribbon (in chunk form) stored in oil or kerosene. Secretive/protective area surrounding the residence, like video cameras, alarm systems, guard dogs, reinforced doors, electrified fencing.
• Iodine or chemical stained fixtures in the kitchen and bath in sinks, tubs, and reddish stains in carpets or on wallpaper.
• Excessive yellow stains on walls and wood work due to exposure to iodine.
• Corrosion of metal fixtures (vents, vent hoods, etc.) due to exposure to iodine.
• White powder spills on countertops and floors.
• Excess coffee filters, plastic baggies, match book covers with striker plates removed, torn lithium battery casings, antifreeze containers, lantern fuel cans, drain cleaner and duct tape.

If spray starch applied to such carpet or wallpaper stains turns purple, the stain is caused by iodine, a key ingredient in Meth manufacturing. The presence of such stains may indicate previous Meth lab activity in the home.

Signs of Meth lab activity outside a home include burn piles, dead or dying vegetation or buried trash piles.

If You Find a Lab

Do not touch anything in the lab area and do not sniff any containers. Do not turn any electrical power switches or light switches on or off. Do not open or move any of the containers with chemicals in them.

Whatever you do, do not smoke, eat or drink anywhere near a methamphetamine laboratory.

If you come in contact with a meth lab, you should decontaminate yourself and your clothing as quickly as possible, and wash your hands and face thoroughly. Call your local authorities immediately and explain your concerns. Do not attempt to gather evidence on your own and never handle any of the materials that may be associated with a lab.

Cleaning up a clandestine meth lab is a dangerous and complicated process which should be handled by trained professionals. Do not attempt to clean up or dispose of a suspected meth lab yourself.

Visit my next blog and we will discuss the methods of decontaminating meth labs.

Property Owners-Be Aware Of Meth Labs

Property Owners-Be Aware Of Meth Labs (Part 2) Common Ingredients

Property Owners-Be Aware Of Meth Labs (Part 4) Cleaning Up

Would you swallow a spoonful of drain cleaner? Does the thought of injecting brake fluid into your arm appeal to you? Care to top off your dessert with a bit of rat poison? How about a big drink of starting fluid to start the day?

These are just a few of the common ingredients in Meth. One reason behind the explosive growth in Meth labs is the availability of the components. When users smoke, inject or drink Meth, this is what they are sending to their brain, cardiovascular system and throughout their bodies:

◙Alcohol - Gasoline additives or Rubbing Alcohol
◙Ether (starting fluid)
◙Benzene
◙Paint thinner
◙Freon
◙Acetone
◙Chloroform
◙Camp stove fuel
◙Anhydrous ammonia
◙White gasoline
◙Pheynl-2-Propane
◙Phenylacetone
◙Phenylpropanolamine
◙Rock, table or Epsom salt
◙Iodine crystals
◙Red Phosphorous
◙Toluene (found in brake cleaner)
◙Red Devil Lye
◙Drain cleaner
◙Muraitic acid
◙Battery acid
◙Lithium from batteries
◙Sodium metal
◙Ephedrine
◙Cold tablets
◙Diet aids
◙Iodine
◙Bronchodialators
◙Energy boosters

Lab equipment including tubing, unmarked Mason jars with tubes attached, stained coffee filters, 2-liter pop bottles, blenders, camera batteries, wooden matches, propane cylinders and hot plates are tip offs to the production of Meth.

Individually, each product is legal and useful. But when mixed together and processed, the results are deadly - to the producer, user and innocent bystanders.

When the ingredients are combined, they can ignite, causing explosions, fires and the release of toxic fumes. Many times, the waste material is dumped outdoors, causing irreparable damage to the environment and drinking water. Vapors seep into plaster and wood. Harsh liquids that are dumped or spilled can remain for a long time as residue in bathtubs, toilets or sinks.

Visit my next blog to learn how to spot a meth lab on your property.

Property Owners-Be Aware Of Meth Labs (Part 1)

Property Owners-Be Aware Of Meth Labs (Part 3) Recognizing A Lab

Property Owners-Be Aware Of Meth Labs (Part 4) Cleaning Up

Meth can be manufactured anywhere, including in a "cook's" home. This may be a property you own and are leasing to the "cook", or a house that you are considering purchasing. These home labs leave contamination and severe health risks even after the drug is no longer being manufactured in the residence.

A methamphetamine laboratory is typically not a large, permanent facility. It can even be manufactured in a coffee pot. The ingredients are common and generally easy to come by. In fact, meth can be made in makeshift labs small enough to be stored in a suitcase and set up anywhere. These labs have been discovered in the country, in small towns and in the largest cities, in homes, garages, apartments and motels.

Being in or near a Meth lab is extremely dangerous. The toxic nature of the ingredients leaves behind hazardous waste - six pounds of residue are generated by each pound of Meth manufactured. Clean up of a meth lab can run as high as $10,000.

The toxic effects of exposure to Meth lab chemicals depends on three factors: the lab process and chemicals used, the amount of chemicals and length of exposure, and the age and health of the person exposed. Chemicals may enter the body by being breathed, eaten or absorbed through the skin. Short term effects of exposure to the lab chemicals or byproducts include shortness of breath, a cough, chest pains, dizziness, skin lesions and/or burns to the skin, eyes, nose and mouth. Over the long term, the health risks of even low level exposure include brain, liver and kidney damage, cancer, birth defects and death.

Meth Manufacturing Contaminates Indoors and Out

Outdoors, Meth lab contamination results from manufacturing or the dumping or burning of waste on or near soil, surface water, groundwater, sewer or septic systems.

Contamination caused by the "cooking" and disposing of Meth inside a home will affect: floors, walls, ceilings, working surfaces, furniture, carpeting, paneling, wallpaper, draperies, blinds, light fixtures, kitchen appliances, plumbing fixtures and drains, vent fans, ceiling fans, heating and air-conditioning vents, clothing, toys, etc.

Missouri statutes require that the present or past existence of meth labs on any property sold, leased or transferred must be disclosed.

Applies if meth is or was produced on any part of the property, inside or out.

Applies to the sale, rental, exchange, lease, or any other transfer of real property.

Applies whether the property had a structure on it or not - improved or unimproved property.

Requires that the owner, seller, landlord or other transferor make the disclosure.

Applies if the owner, seller, landlord or other transferor has or had knowledge of the prior methamphetamine production.

Disclosure is required regardless of whether the persons involved in the production of the methamphetamine were convicted for production.

In my next blog, we will discuss common ingredients used in the production of meth.

Property Owners-Be Aware Of Meth Labs (Part 2) Common Ingredients

Property Owners-Be Aware Of Meth Labs (Part 3) Recognizing a Lab

Property Owners-Be Aware Of Meth Labs (Part 4) Cleaning Up