Decontamination of Clothing and Building Materials Associated with the Clandestine Production of Methamphetamine

Abstract

This study was designed to determine how easily methamphetamine can be removed from clothing and building materials, utilizing different cleaning materials and methods. The study also addressed the penetration of methamphetamine into drywall and the ability of paints to encapsulate the methamphetamine on drywall. Clothing and building materials were contaminated in a stainless steel chamber by aerosolizing methamphetamine in a beaker heater. The amount of methamphetamine surface contamination was determined by sampling a grid pattern on the material prior to attempting to clean the materials. After cleaning, the materials were again sampled, and the degree of decontamination noted. We found that household clothing and response gear worn by first responders was easily decontaminated using a household detergent in a household washing machine. A single wash removed over 95% of the methamphetamine from these materials. The study also indicated that methamphetamine-contaminated, smooth non-porous surfaces can be easily cleaned to below detectable levels using only mild cleaners. More porous surfaces such as plywood and drywall were unlikely to be decontaminated to below regulatory levels even with three washes using a mild cleaner. This may be due to methamphetamine penetration into the paint on these surfaces. Evaluation of methamphetamine contamination on drywall indicated that approximately 40% of the methamphetamine was removed using a wipe, while another 60% remained in the paint layer. Stronger cleaners such as those with active ingredients including sodium hypochlorite or quaternary ammonia and commercial decontamination agents were more effective than mild detergent-based cleaners and may reduce methamphetamine contamination to below regulatory levels. Results from the encapsulation studies indicate that sprayed on oil-based paint will encapsulate methamphetamine on drywall and plywood surfaces up to 4.5 months, while latex paints were less effective.

Keywords:

• ballistic vests
• contamination
• drywall
• encapsulation
• plywood
• turnout gear

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to acknowledge the Utah Department of Health and the State of Utah's Senate Bill 209 for providing a portion of the funding for this study.

In addition, this project was supported by Grant # 2009CK WX-0503 awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services. The opinions contained herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement by the authors or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues.

We would also like to acknowledge help from the North Metro Task Force and the City of Thornton Police Department, Thornton, Colorado in obtaining street-manufactured methamphetamine to utilize in these studies. We also recognize the donation of firefighter bunker gear by Brian Ladds of the Calgary Fire Department, City of Calgary, Canada, for decontamination testing. We thank the U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, which provided the law enforcement response gear and helped sample the materials for methamphetamine.