While there are many ways to make meth, the most common way begins withover-the-counter medications containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, (1) and often involves cookingwith acetone, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, ether, and anhydrous ammonia to seriallyconcentrate and purify the meth. Cooking meth, which can result in eye and respiratory irritations,chemical burns, explosions and fires, toxic waste products, and contaminated surroundings, can bedangerous to the meth "cook," to the people and community around the lab, and to those persons whofirst come upon the lab, such as fire fighters, law enforcement officials, emergency medicaltechnicians, or social welfare workers. (2) 
Depending on the process used and the skill of the cook, each pound of meth produces aboutsix pounds of hazardous waste. Alternatively, rather than pay directly forclean-up and later apply for reimbursement from EPA, state and local governments instead can notifythe United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in the United States Department ofJustice, and DEA will take responsibility and arrange for clean-up. In addition, there have beenfunds available from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to redevelop ofa former meth site. (6) The cost of remediating an average-size site has been estimatedat $50,000, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. A drug in Schedule II, like meth, has current accepted medical use and has high potential forabuse. (9) This report focuses on illicituse and production of meth, and subsequent clean-up and remediation issues. Meth is primarily supplied by clandestine laboratoriesin Mexico and California. Successful closure in the UnitedStates of some super-labs, the relative ease of producing meth, the continuing demand for the drug,and the desire for potential wealth and involvement in a criminal underground social activity,contributed to an increase, through 2003, in meth production in small clandestine labs, also knownas small, toxic labs (STLs). Although only 20% of illicit meth used in the United States comes from STLs, (14) the sheer number of suchlabs, their residual impacts, and their geographic diffusion, have prompted concerns in Congress,state and local governments, law enforcement agencies, and real estate and other groups. Residual Impacts of Meth Labs

There generally are greater concerns about the environmental wastes from STLs than fromsuper-labs, for several reasons. (16) Fourth,these small-scalelabs can be geographically scattered among a wide range of sites, such as apartments, motel rooms,abandoned buildings, even packed in car trunks and moved among parks and other locations. The range of substitutes for pure ingredients andsophisticated production equipment may include common items such as decongestants from retailand convenience stores, mason jars, coffee filters, hot plates, pressure cookers, plastic tubing, andgasoline cans. There is a range of residual impacts of small-scale labs. Children of some STL "cooks" havebeen found in residences where their parents were making meth. Reimbursement is limited to$25,000 per incident. HUD

Federal funds to redevelop a former meth production site have been available through HUD'sBrownfields Economic Development Initiative. While the decision to clean a meth site is aided by the availability of EPA and DEA fundsfor clean-ups, the decision to remediate a meth site may be more difficult. (28) 
There are currently no federal guidelines or standards governing clean-up or remediationprocesses. Levels of meth residue below the standardsare considered acceptable. The nine states' standards range from 0.05 to 0.1 micrograms of meth onevery 100 square centimeters of surface.
Methamphetamine (meth), a drug with limited medical use and high potential for abuse andaddiction, is a subject of widespread concern. Once associated mainly with the West Coast andwhite, male, blue-collar workers, illicit meth is now used by diverse population groups nationwide,with concentrations in the West, Southwest, and Midwest. Meth is supplied primarily by clandestinelabs in California and Mexico. The drug is relatively simple to make from easily obtained recipes,but access to certain ingredients has become more difficult. Meth production in small, toxic labs(STLs) increased initially due to the successful closure of some "super-labs" (labs capable of makingmore than 10 pounds of meth in a 24-hour cycle), relative ease of making meth, continuing demandfor the drug, and desire for potential wealth and involvement in a criminal underground socialactivity. Although the greater fraction of meth used and distributed across the nation comes fromsuper-labs, the sheer number of STLs, their geographic diffusion, and their residual impacts haveprompted concern in Congress, state and local governments, law enforcement agencies, and realestate and other groups.
Meth labs have many significant and widespread residual impacts. According to the UnitedStates Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), there were 9,092 STLs and related meth sites in2000 and 17,356 in 2003; the number has been declining since. These sites can be found in a widerange of places, such as apartments, motel rooms, abandoned buildings, and packed in car trunks inparks and other locations. Meth makers can use common items such as mason jars, coffee filters,hot plates, over-the-counter medications containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine (e.g., Sudafed andsome other nonprescription decongestants), acetone, hydrochloric acid, and anhydrous ammonia. Making meth can result in eye and respiratory irritations, chemical burns, explosions and fires, toxicwastes, and contaminated surroundings. Some residual impacts of meth production threaten thehealth and welfare of children removed from meth sites. This report focuses on the residualenvironmental impacts of STLs.
Cleaning and remediating a meth site can cost more than $200,000, depending on themagnitude of contamination. State and local governments that incur expenses cleaning a site canapply to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for reimbursement, up to $25,000 perincident. Alternatively, rather than incur costs and apply for a capped reimbursement, state and localgovernments can notify DEA of a site, and DEA will perform and pay for cleaning. In addition,funds have been available from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) toredevelop a former meth production site.
No uniform federal guidelines or standards exist governing the process or the endpoint forcleaning or remediating STLs. Across various states, acceptable levels of meth residue, afterremediation, range from 0.05 to 0.1 micrograms of meth per 100 square centimeters of surface. Twelve congressional bills, one enacted into law in March, relate broadly to meth site cleaning orremediation. This report will be updated as warranted.