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Exposure To Methamphetamine - The Danger For First Responders

It's estimated that between 20 and 30% of low-level meth labs are discovered by complete accident, or because of a fire or explosion.  As a result, often the first responders - police officers, firefighters and emergency services personnel don't know they're responding to a meth lab location until they've already risked exposure.  This is especially dangerous in those regions where first responders are not used to responding to this type of problem.

According to an article in the "Journal of Addictions Nursing" in November of 2006, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing researchers found that first responders who come in contact with clandestine methamphetamine labs, even under the best of circumstances, are at risk for numerous health problems.

In their research, the authors determined that too often on entering the labs, first responders who are not using protective equipment or wearing protective clothing are exposed to chemicals that can cause lung damage, eye and respiratory irritation and burns. In addition, nurses and other staff in emergency departments risk secondary exposure if victims are not properly decontaminated before transport.

To complicate matters further, while there are prevention strategies and protocols, even while participating in planned raids, haz-mat firefighters and law enforcement personnel cannot fully predict the chemical hazards of exposure because the ingredients and methamphetamine production methods vary from lab to lab.  You really know what you're facing.  The situation is improved now in 2008, but there are still some regions and jurisdictions in North America that are way behind in this type of training.

The "Rolling Meth Lab"

Some "mom and pop" level meth labs are "rolling labs," or mobile.  Mobile labs have been discovered in large RV's, buses, boats, trains, and in a great many cases, in the trunk of small cars.  And once again, most of these types of labs are discovered inadvertently by law enforcement - typically during a traffic stop.  Sometimes there are warning signs that an experienced officer will pick up on.

But sometimes there isn't, and obviously, we can't expect officers to conduct their day-to-day duties wearing a haz-mat suit.  So until things change, searching a vehicle takes on new dimensions and has become increasingly dangerous, particularly since the popularity of the one-pot method of cooking methamphetamine is rising.

Hotel Rooms Make For Convenient Meth Lab Setup Locations

Ramada Inn, Holiday Inn, LaQuinta, Radisson and even the upscale Biltmore hotel chains have been used for making and dealing methamphetamine according to law enforcement officials.  And once again, in addition to the dangers associated with fire and explosion, you also have the dangers of the latent effects of the chemicals used to make meth.  In addition, a meth lab in a hotel room can be even harder for law enforcement to monitor and eventually seize, due to the high security in many of the upper-scale hotels.

In certain meth hot-spot areas, it's been reported that a high percentage of hotel rooms tested positive for methamphetamine.  But there's no way of verifying what trace elements were found and in what quantities, at least not based on the studies we've seen to date.  Realistically, some hotel chains aren't that concerned with changing the sheets from guest to guest, let alone establishing stringent guidelines for latent meth testing. 

The "One Pot" Method Of Cooking Meth

As we said, the one-pot method of making methamphetamine is gaining popularity fast.  This method involves a two-liter bottle with certain additives, which we won't get into for obvious reasons.  This is an extremely fast and easy way to make meth and it's incredibly hard for law enforcement to detect. So that's all we're going to say about this method because if we provide any more information, somebody might be stupid enough to try it. But we do want our readership to know it exists and still poses a danger from the perspective of fumes, burns and explosion.

The Effect Of Precursor Chemical Control On Small Meth Labs

As we said, in those areas where restrictions have been placed on the various precursor chemicals used for making meth, the number of mom & pop labs initially went down, and in some areas, have stayed down.  But in almost every region or jurisdiction where meth lab seizures went down, the amount of imported meth went up, and resultantly, a rise in the purity of the product being sold on the street.  And in some areas, where the number of mom & pop level labs went down, the number of domestic "super-labs," or "near super-labs" went up proportionately.

However, the small domestic meth lab is not about to go away entirely any time soon, so we'd like to give you a comprehensive look at the whole picture. It's no secret that recipes for making methamphetamine are available in most libraries and there are numerous "step-by-step" sites on the internet. There are a variety of recipes that can be used depending on your available resources and your location.

Using some of the recipes, it's possible to make a small batch of meth in as little as a half an hour.  So basically, anyone who wants to make meth can, providing they have access to the ingredients.

We're not saying this because we want to encourage anyone to do it - quite the opposite.  Not only is meth extremely dangerous to make for the "cook," it's dangerous for anyone near the cooking location.  In addition, the penalties for manufacturing meth are extremely stiff.

The Immediate Dangers Of A Meth Lab

Typically, the small meth lab is absolutely filthy and should you have the misfortune of walking in to one, in addition to overwhelming chemical odors, the smell of dirty diapers, urine, vomit and feces would not be unusual.  It would also not be unusual to find children malnourished and unattended, needles, pipes and other meth paraphernalia lying around, and caustic, toxic and potentially explosive chemicals sitting on kitchen counters and tables.  Usually carpets, rugs and floors will often have scorch marks where chemicals have dropped and burned through, and there will always be trace elements left over.  It's not unusual for cleanup crews to have holes burned in their "haz-mat" suits from the acids found in meth labs.

Many property owners have compared cleaning up a meth lab comparable to having a termite or mold infestation, because often the property almost has to be completely destroyed to effectively get at the core problem.  California in one of the states in the U.S. taking the lead in codifying procedures for meth lab cleanup because it just can't be left to chance.  Other states such as Oklahoma and Tennessee have implemented, or are in the process of implementing databases that keep a record of anyone convicted of manufacturing or distributing methamphetamine.  This is going to be a trend you will see right across the U.S., and perhaps even in Canada.

Inside A Small Meth Lab - A Little Order Amid A Lot Of Chaos

Ironically, because meth makes a person so incredibly energetic, even amongst the filth and chaos of a small meth lab, it's common to see one little area where something has been meticulously cleaned, arranged or organized.  This energy boost also helps in the process of making meth, because it's very tedious and if you're taking apart cold pills, it involves a great deal of repetition, so it's ideally suited to someone who is completely "wired."  You'll learn more about this when we discuss the phases of meth use, most notably the phase when the user is "sketching."

With Methamphetamine, Close Does Count

Fumes from the labs absorb into everything including clothing so you don't need to have direct contact with the chemicals to absorb them.  In one such instance, a social worker in Spokane, Washington picked up a homeless methamphetamine addict she’d been trying to coax into treatment for months. After three hours with the addict - in her car and her office - the social worker became violently ill.  After confirming that the addict had indeed been hanging out in a meth lab, moments later the social worker was headed to the emergency room.

In another more recent case, a deputy has filed a petition against the sheriff's department she was employed by for workers' compensation over meth lab exposure.  The deputy's case alleges for more than a year and a half, she "had been repeatedly exposed to methamphetamine laboratories and pre-cursor chemicals" during her employment.

As a result, she contends she developed auto-immune disorders, lupus and Sjogren's, both "gradual onset" conditions from being exposed.  (Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood, and kidneys.)  And with Sjogren's syndrome, an abnormal production of extra antibodies in the blood are directed against various tissues in the body, in particular the skin, joints, blood, and kidneys.

Apparently, other people dealing with this aspect of methamphetamine are surprised it's taken this long for a lawsuit of this nature to emerge.  They point to the fact that not only are meth labs toxic jungles with several cancer-causing carcinogens in them, you never really know what you're dealing with until you're inside.  One first responder compared it to being the "canary in the mine-shaft."  We'll probably never know the full extent of this problem for years to come.

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