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SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) -- Tara and Steven Green rented a home for 18 months and had hoped to buy it -- until a test showed evidence of methamphetamine, a drug made with dangerous chemicals.
Now, a bright yellow sign from the Utah County Health Department bars entry. The family's possessions remain inside: a vacuum against the wall, toys on the floor, a vase of faded roses on the mantel, Christmas gifts.
"I think I managed to get the dishes done and the floor swept, but other than that I was just playing with my little fellows," said Tara Green, who has eight children.
Green said her mother called and planned to surprise her by asking some girls from their church to help clean the house.
The helpers, however, refused, saying it had been a meth house.
A test confirmed unsafe levels of meth residue, and the health department told the Greens to evacuate Nov. 17.
"We spent the weekend in the motel room that our church was nice enough to pay for. I spent my birthday at the Laundromat washing clothes for 10 people," said Tara Green.
They now live with her mother in a small house in Birdseye.
Tom Dowell said he has owned the rental property for only six months and knew nothing about past meth use when he bought it.
Dave Johnson, the county's environmental-health director, said a house can be contaminated with meth simply by people using the drug. Exposure can result in flu-like symptoms, and a house typically must be decontaminated.
"Things that can be put into a washer can generally be decontaminated," said Boyd Stringham, Utah County's hazardous-waste manager. "If you can't clean it within a washer, it is generally unsalvageable."
The Greens got a fast start on Christmas, but the gifts, including a flute for a daughter, are stuck in the house.
"I still need to find us a home," Tara Green said.
------ Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldextra.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
