Narcotic Cleanup Dangers

Why is the residue from these labs toxic?

Cleaning up a narcotics lab, whether it is meth or fentanyl presents the same dangers and risks. It is so much more than simply removing the drug and lab paraphernalia. Making these illicit drugs involve hazardous chemicals like pseudoephedrine, which is a biohazard by itself not to mention the heightened risk of combining it with other dangerous chemicals.
Once the lab itself has been shut down, it is not safe to enter without full Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). A dangerous chemical mixture of these drug cocktails remain as residue everywhere in the location. There are smoke, chemical residue, and other particles left in the air and on every surface in the location.
The residue from these hazardous chemicals can also seep into a location's heating/cooling system (including duct work), and plumbing which can contaminate the entire location. This means even if the lab was isolated to only 1 room/portion of the location, the entire location is compromised with potentially lethal chemical residue.
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Dangers of Lab Cleanups

Once these illegal labs get shut down, that is only the first step in a lengthy cleanup operation. Knowing how dangerous these type of situations are is vital when making the decision to hire Hazmat One to assist you.
No matter who is engaged in the cleanup of these labs, they need to understand that without the proper PPE, the danger of these locations can easily be lethal.
Going into a drug lab like this means you are open to contact with the drugs by inhaling them in the air or direct skin contact. That is why our Hazmat One team uses full PPE, including respirators when conducting these type of cleanups. Some of the larger dangers of a drug lab and it's cleanup are:

• Shortness of Breath
• Difficulty Breathing
• Coughing
• Increased risk of cancer
• Nausea and Vomiting
• Headaches/Blurred Vision
• Liver Damage
• Kidney Damage
• Brain Damage

Professionals have the proper safety gear (PPE) so the risk of these health issues is reduced, but it is by no means gone. You should never attempt to cleanup a lab area like this without the proper remediation training, which is what our Hazmat One team has.