In Arkansas, as in other parts of the country, the number of clandestine methampetamine laboratories, commonly referred to as "meth labs", is growing and their locations are shifting from isolated, rual facilities to houses, trailer and apartments in more densely populated areas. These illegal laboratories are usually operated with little or no attention to safety, resulting in immedate dangers such as fires or explosions, as well as exposures to hazardous chemicals.

After law enforcement personnel have secured a methamphetamine lab site, they assess the site. Then the site is processed. Part of the assessment and processing procedures include identifying and disposing of drug manufacturing equipment and chemicals. This process is often referred to as primary cleanup and is usually performed by a certified hazardous waste contractor. As part of the primary cleanup process, most of the hazardous waste materials including glassware, chemicals and other items not determined to be evidence as identified by law enforcement personnel are disposed of or destroyed by the hazardous waste contractor. After the primary cleanup process had been completed and law enforcement officials release the property, any subsequent cleanup becomes the responsibility of the property owner. These properties are almost always contaminated with the chemicals used to manufacture the illicit drugs.

In many cases, property owners will allow reoccupation of building without any consideration of potential contamination resulting from the illegal drug manufacturing activities that had occurred previously. In buildings where residual contamination is present, new occupants could unwittingly be exposed to hazardous materials. Children are particularly vulnerable to the deleterious effects of these chemicals. In general, children are more likely to be exposed to the residuals of contamination from previous methamphetamine laboratory activities because of behaviors such as crawling on floors and putting foreign materials in their mouths. Even children who live in apartments adjacent to methamphetamine laboratories that have not been properly decontaminated can be exposed to potentially harmful chemical residues.

After a site has been secured and no longer subject to criminal investigation, appropriately trained and equipped personnel should be hired to cleanup any remaining contaminated materials before anyone is permitted to reoccupy the structure. In most cases, secondary cleanup and evaluation activities should be performed by contractors with expertise and experience in the remediation of hazardous materials.

Below is a list of some of the chemicals associated With clandestine methamphetamine laboratories. This list is not intended to contain all possible chemicals that might be found in assocation with "meth labs".