The State of Colorado is being bombarded with a proliferation of
clandestine methamphetamine laboratories
.  Methamphetamine is a popular
drug, extremely addictive, and very easy to “cook” using readily available “recipes.”  
Small labs are easy to establish and have propagated across economic and social
boundaries in both rural communities and urban centers.  

Meth labs have been discovered in single-family homes, apartments,
condos, mobile homes, and motels;
small labs are integrated with and in close
proximity to the surrounding community. Used paraphernalia and chemicals are
dumped in city park trashcans and national forests, impacting the safety of public
space.  Regardless of where they are located, methamphetamine production leaves
toxic remnants by polluters with total disregard for the surrounding community, the
environment, and future residents of contaminated property.

In an act to protect pubic safety Colorado created standards for
decontaminating meth labs in 2005
.  If followed correctly, these regulations
provide legal protection to the property owner and ensure that residual meth
contamination is properly removed.

Cleaning up these sites requires specialized training, can be very expensive, and in
some cases results in total demolition.

These costs mean that many properties are abandoned or left vacant. The stigma of
these buildings drive down surrounding property values and damages a community.

CBF has created a program to help alleviate property owner losses, clean
up a hazardous health issue, and reintroduce the property as a community
asset.
CBF will accept charitable contributions of title to these meth labs, conduct
remediation activities, and deliver clean buildings or lots to local housing authorities,
Habitat for Humanity, and affordable housing developers.

For more information about how CBF can assist with a meth contaminated
property, please contact Jesse Silverstien at 303-962-0942

CBF Resources
CBF Meth Information packet for property owners (PDF)
Property Transfer Assistance
GAP Financing


Recent Activities

  • Trinidad, CO. CBF recently took title to a single family home where the both a
    grandmother and her son were cooking meth. The property had been busted
    as a meth lab several times and the owner/cook was sent to prison.
    Subsequently the house was foreclosed on by Century Savings and Loan in
    Trinidad. The amount of the loan balance was far less than the estimated cost
    to clean. This is an appealing offer for many property owners because CBF
    can offer State Tax credits and charitable donation deductions. READ MORE
Other Resources

January 2007 Colorado Meth Task Force report

Colorado Meth Lab Legislation
Meth Lab Cleanup Bill 04-1182 (PDF)
Meth Disclosure Bill 06-002 (PDF)

Resources for Property Owners
Meth Packet for Property Owners (PDF)
Cleanup Regulations (PDF)
Certified Industrial Hygienists PDF (from Tri-County Health)
Colorado Association of Meth and Mold Professionals

Health Effects
National Jewish Research Center
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Meth Program
"Cooking" meth
produces 5 grams of
waste for every gram of
meth. Hazardous
materials associated with
meth production include:

Acetone                     
Ammonia                     
Ammonium hydroxide
Benzene                     
Chloroform                  
Ethyl ether                
Ethanol                       
Formic acid              
Glacial acetic acid
Hydrochloric acid          
Iodine    
Lead                             
Lithium metal
Mercury
Methanol                         
Methylen chloride
Methyl amine        
Methy ethyl                    
Ketone                        
Naphtha
Nitroethane                      
Petroleum spirit               
 Phosphoric acid
Potassium chromate
Potassium dichromate
Potassium permanganate
Red phosphorus              
Sodium chromate            
 Sodium dicromate
Sodium hydroxide            
Sodium metal                  
Sulfuric aci
Toluene                           
                            
Contact Us
Colorado Brownfields Foundation
10184 W. Belleview Ave STE 100
Littleton, CO, 80127
303-962-0940
e-mail:
info@ColoradoBrownfieldsFoundation.org
In 2006, the
National Drug
Assessment
Report identified
Denver, Colorado,
as a principal
methamphetamine
drug distribution
center.
Al Lewis, Denver
Post Columnist
,
interviewed on
9News about Meth
and the effect on
real estate.
(Go To)
9News Interviews
Jesse Silverstein,
Executive Director
of CBF
(Go To)
KFCR Radio
interviews
Jesse
Silverstein,
Executive Director of
CBF, about cleaning
up meth.
(July 15th, 2007)
(Go To)