Records of houses and apartments contaminated by previous tenants who cooked methamphetamines should be accessible to potential home buyers and residents through a local government Web site, a county task force said.
A story from the AP says, no Ohio law regulates the cleanup or requires the disclosure of homes and apartments that have been used as meth labs, which leaves unwitting future tenants at risk from the drug's poisonous fumes and residue. Meth exposure can contribute to a range of problems, from eye and skin irritation to liver and kidney damage and some types of cancer.
News reports of a woman who bought a meth-tainted home just outside of Akron in Stow prompted Summit County to create the Methamphetamine Property Awareness Task Force earlier this year. The woman was unaware the property had been used as a meth lab and sued the seller.
The group, which includes county leaders and officials from health agencies and law enforcement, completed several months of discussions last week.
It recommended that law-enforcement agencies notify the sheriff's office about meth-tainted properties. The county's Web site should provide public documents related to the properties, as well as records of cleanup efforts, the task force said.
The task force also wants federal and state officials to create cleanup guidelines.
Click here to read more of this story from the AP.
