BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1489
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Date of Hearing: May 20, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Kevin De Leon, Chair
AB 1489 (Smyth) - As Introduced: February 27, 2009
Policy Committee: Environmental
Safety Vote: 7-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill establishes in law the health-based cleanup standard
for methamphetamine as developed by the Department of Toxic
Substances Control (DTSC) and the Office of Environmental Health
Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). Specifically, this bill changes the
cleanup level for methamphetamine (meth) lab clean-up from .1
micrograms per 100 square centimeters to 1.5 micrograms per 100
square centimeters.
FISCAL EFFECT
Negligible, if any.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale. The author intends this bill to conform the
cleanup level for meth established in law with the
health-based target remediation standard recently developed by
OEHHA.
2)Background.
a) California's Health-based Cleanup Standards. In 2005,
two bills were enacted that addressed clean up standards
for meth. SB 536 (Bowen, Chapter 587) directed DTSC to
develop cleanup standards and procedures for meth and
certain other chemicals. AB 1078 (Keene, Chapter 570) set
interim cleanup standards and administrative procedures
that must be met before people can move back into a
structure used as a lab. The bill also established that
property owners are responsible for absorbing the cost of
AB 1489
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the cleanup.
b) OEHHA Determined the Standard. As required by SB 536,
OEHHA has completed the work that allows it to identify a
health-based cleanup standard for meth, which included
responses to public comments and external scientific peer
reviews. To develop the standard, OEHHA, used a
multi-media exposure model to quantify the amount of
surface contamination at which meth would risk the health
of a child. That concentration, according to OEHHA is 1.5
micrograms per 100 square centimeters.
c) Other Cleanup Standards Exist. There are no national
health-based standards for meth clean-up. However, the
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has
recommended a cleanup level of 0.5 micrograms per 100
square centimeters. The State of Washington relies a
cleanup standard of 0.1 microgram per 100 square
centimeters, as does California.
3)Supporters contend this bill appropriately aligns the cleanup
standards for meth established in law with the cleanup
standards recommended by OEHHA, the state's agency charged
with protecting and enhancing public health and the
environment through scientific evaluation of risks posed by
hazardous substances.
There is no registered opposition to this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081