Understanding Environmental Concerns

If you're the owner of an investment property that you rent out to tenants, then you may have had to deal with some less than ideal tenants at times. Most of the time, you can deal with the mess or damage left by bad tenants fairly easily and it will just entail some hard work and insurance claims on your behalf.

If you've been the victim of tenants that have used your property to produce methamphetamines, then the cleanup task will not be so straight forward. Meth labs create a dangerous environment for both you and any future tenants. For this reason, your property will need to be professionally cleaned by a trained hazmat team. If this is a situation you have been unfortunate enough to find yourself in, then here are two important things you need to know:

1. Don't underestimate the danger

The chemicals used to produce meth are highly toxic and their danger shouldn't be underestimated. The chemicals that may be present in your property will vary depending on the production method the tenants use but they are invariably bad news.

Dangerous and potentially deadly chemicals such as Hydrochloric acid, Sulfuric acid, and Sodium Hydroxide and only a few of the toxins that are commonly found in meth lab sites. You should never attempt to handle or clean these sorts of chemicals on your own because exposure can cause serious health problems or even result in death.

2. It isn't a quick cleanup job

Each state has its own regulatory body which dictates the process that should be adhered to when cleaning up meth lab sites. In all cases, the cleanup process will be detailed and lengthy to ensure that your property will be safe for habitation and legally able to be rented out again.

The cleanup process takes so long because there are several stages involved that need to be followed strictly. These stages include ventilation of the property, assessment, and testing, removal of contaminated items and building materials, and thorough cleaning of all surfaces including within ventilation shafts.

Once your property has been through a complete cleaning process by a professional hazmat team, it will then need to be retested to ensure that there are no residual amounts of any toxic chemicals left. Once it has been tested and certified as safe, you can then begin the process of repair and replacement that will allow you to make your property ready to house new tenants.

Contact a company like Spur Environmental Services for more information and assistance.