An encounter with a meth lab may be closer than you think

Most Americans sit in their comfortable living rooms and offices and believe that they will never be in a “situation” that exposes them to the dangers associated with methamphetamine. That’s just things you see on the news, right? Not necessarily. As they say, being warned is having weapons beforehand and you certainly need to be well armed to emerge unscathed from a methamphetamine encounter.

Nearly 12 million Americans have tried methamphetamine at some point in their lifetime, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and the Health Report on Methamphetamine Use, Abuse, and Dependence: 2002, 2003, and 2004, published by the Services Administration. of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. Methamphetamine users and manufacturers include people of all walks of life. Doctors, lawyers, and dentists are no more exempt than factory workers or roofers.

Methamphetamine labs are found in neighborhoods ranging from rich to poor. Methamphetamine can be cooked virtually anywhere, and commercial buildings, houses, apartments, hotel rooms, trailers, barns, vans, and storage units are just a few of the structures used in laboratories. Although many are located in rural regions to hide, methamphetamine labs can be found in urban and suburban areas.

The danger of fires and explosions is always immediate in methamphetamine laboratory operations and even after they are dismantled, methamphetamine laboratories leave a poisonous trail of dust and chemical fumes that can leak into neighboring spaces, including homes, apartments and adjacent hotel rooms. Walls, floors, toys, furniture, ventilation systems, plumbing fixtures, septic systems, and surrounding floors may be contaminated and may require professional decontamination.

Those at risk of exposure include real estate agents, homeowners, property managers, prospective renters and home buyers, garbage collectors, utility workers, plumbers, social service agents, and first responders. Children who live in the neighborhood of a meth lab may also be at risk. In fact, thousands of clandestine seizures each year involve children. Visitors or neighbors can be injured by toxic fumes released from methamphetamine labs or poisonous “cooking” debris that is sometimes hidden outside or dumped into a septic system.

The dangers that accompany meth houses include exposure to carcinogenic chemicals that can saturate walls, carpets and other building materials, in addition to all the contents. Lead and mercury are common by-products. Chemicals, such as solvents, can be flushed down the pipes or simply dumped on the ground. If not removed properly, these can cause various health problems. Breathing problems, eye irritation, headaches, dizziness, and nausea are some of the symptoms that people may experience if they are exposed to contaminants from an old meth lab.

Encounters with methamphetamine users, or “Tweekers,” can’t be a walk in the park, either. Methamphetamine induces intense paranoia and symptoms similar to OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder. Methamphetamine users can even store their urine in hidden bottles in living areas to retrieve non-metabolized methamphetamine from their urine. Methamphetamine users sometimes become obsessive about objects. They can disassemble things like appliances, watches, or computers. Items can occasionally be found in a dismantled pile down to the smallest component.

Most people with OCD are pretty harmless, except to themselves. According to police reports, the paranoid methamphetamine user can be very dangerous. They are frequently reported to have large, sometimes eccentric, weapon collections that may have large numbers of knives. Dangerous booby traps are often set up to protect people who store methamphetamine.

So how do you know if you are in the presence of a meth lab or potential meth users? Here are some signs:

Methamphetamine lab signs:

o Yellow stains on walls, drains, sinks and showers.
o Blue discolorations on propane tank valves and fire extinguishers
o Removable or glued smoke detectors
o Having physical symptoms indoors, such as burning eyes or throat, itching, a metallic taste in the mouth, and breathing problems.
o Strong and peculiar odors that smell like materials from a garage, such as paint thinner and thinner, cat urine or ammonia. o The use of security cameras and surveillance equipment.

Signs Homeowners Should Look For With Their Homes and Renters:

o Tenants who behave strangely and are excessively thin, have open sores, bad teeth, or enlarged pupils
o Large amounts of trash with items such as lithium batteries, broken matchboxes, water bottles, cold medicine packets, and antifreeze containers
o Stained coffee filters that are not brown
o Plexiglass or other dark colored kitchen utensils
o Glass containers with two layers of liquids and chemistry sets.

Rapid Response BioDecon recommends that anyone with concerns about possible exposure to the methamphetamine lab ask local authorities to conduct a criminal check on the property and, if you live in a rental unit or purchase a home, request documentation that the property it was professionally decontaminated.