President Signs Law On Meth Labs

Federal agencies will address contamination from illicit laboratories that produce the street drug methamphetamine under legislation signed by President George W. Bush on Dec. 21, 2007. The new law (P.L. 110-143) authorizes the National Institute of Standards & Technology to develop equipment to detect methamphetamine and directs EPA to create voluntary guidelines for cleaning up meth labs. Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), sponsor of the legislation, says the law "will bring much-needed help to state and local law communities working to combat the meth problem day in and day out." He says the sites of illicit labs, which are often houses or apartments, need to be cleaned up properly to ensure the safety of future residents. The new law also calls on the National Academy of Sciences to study the long-term health effects of methamphetamine exposure on children who have lived in homes used to produce the drug and on emergency personnel and law enforcement officers who respond to these sites.