What health problems do meth labs cause ?
June 9, 2009 by Meth Lab Homes
The risk of injury from chemical exposure depends on the chemical itself, the concentration, the quantity, and the length and route of exposure. Chemicals may enter the body by being breathed, eaten, injected (by a contaminated needle or accidental skin prick), or absorbed by the skin, according to the Washington State Environmental Health and Safety Agency. Anyone spending time in an active or former meth lab faces health riskand sometimes death. Children, because of their small stature and still developing brains and vital organs, are especially vulnerable to the health problems caused by homes filled with toxic chemicals.
Acute Exposure: An acute chemical exposure is one that occurs over a relatively short period of time and may result in health effects. An acute exposure to high levels of contaminants found in methamphetamine labs can cause shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, dizziness, lack of coordination, chemical irritation, and burns to the skin, eyes, mouth and nose, and in severe cases, death. Acute reactions of this nature could occur during or immediately after a drug bust, before the lab has been ventilated.
Less severe symptoms resulting from a less acute exposure can cause headache, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue or lethargy. These symptoms have been known to occur in people who have entered a drug lab after the bust has been completed, but before the property has been adequately cleaned and ventilated. These milder health effects can be felt by anyone spending a short time in a non-active meth lab.
Corrosive Effects:
Inhalation or skin exposure may result in injury from corrosive substances present in a methamphetamine lab. Symptoms range from shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, to burns to the skin.
Solvents:
Exposure to solvents can irritate the skin, mucous membranes, respiratory tract, and cause central nervous system effects. They are also dangerous because of their fire and explosive properties.
Chronic Exposure:
Chronic exposure occurs over an extended period of time, such as weeks, months, or years. A chronic health effect is one that usually appears after a lengthy period of time, possibly years. Not much is known about the chronic health effects from these labs. However, there is scientific evidence from animal and human toxicity studies that shows the chemicals used in the manufacture of this drug can cause a range of health effects. These include cancer, damage to the brain, liver and kidneys, birth defects, and reproductive problems, such as miscarriages. Chronic exposure is a problem for individuals and families living in former meth labs that have not been decontaminated. Police and narcotics agents have been involved with meth lab busts for many years have also experienced serious health problems, including death, from being exposed to meth lab chemicals.
If you suspect a dwelling or property may be an illegal lab, contact your local police, or sheriff’s department. If you own property which has been used as an illegal lab and would like a list of chemicals confiscated during the bust, contact the law enforcement agency responsible for the bust, such as local police or sheriff, State Patrol, or Federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
Thank you for posting this site!! I am a step parent to 4 children that have a meth abuser mother and the youngest almost died at 6 months old from the meth. He has many problems with memory, it takes him at least 10 secounds or so to even answer questions and also just looks at you with a blank expression…so frustrating…He is 11 now and I have been there step mom for over 7 years now and we have been thru many nurological testing, hearing tests and so on…He is also on an IEP becouse he has a hard time with normal everyday things…He also at this age can not be alone in the bathroom or take a bath alone with the door closed becouse he has hallucinations that somthing is going to get him…He will be 12 in February…The children times before would also come home from summer vacations having to always go to the doctors and need inhailors and so on…Please help me keep my sanity!! We are raising 7 together…I want to thank you so much again for having this site becouse others need to know!!
You are the one who should be thanked, Emily. You are giving those children the care they should have gotten from their parents. Children are the ones who are suffering the most from the meth problem in America. It’s tragic. Best of luck to you. You’re doing a great thing! Thank you for your kind words. I do appreciate them.
Congrats to you I am sorry for what has happened to your family but atleast you are there for them with you they will carry on and I am sure it will all turn out ok atleast they have you and your family!! Hats OFF TO YOU!!!
My 23 year old daughter has developed some of the symptoms noted in this article. A couple of years ago she had a one year lease in an apartment building with drug dealers. There were customers climbing up and down the stairs all night. Now, we are wondering how meth exposure can be diagnosed in a person who has been exposed. With exposure to lead, a person would have a high blood lead level. Are there physical markers for meth exposure too?
That’s a good question, Mary. You mentioned that they were drug dealers, but I’m wondering…. does your daughter know if they were making meth?
My daughter lived in a house that was suspected of meth making due to things found in the house after previous renters were evicted in Tennessee. While she lived there she suffered a stillbirth at 5 months with no explanation as to why. The drs couldnt figure it out. She moved and had another stillbirth at 5 and 1/2 months with again no explanation. Could this have been from living in that house even after she moved?
Mom of 4,
I am so sorry about your daughter’s loss. Sigh. There is no way to know for sure what caused her stillbirths, however there is evidence that the chemicals found in a contaminated meth lab home can damage the reproductive system of both men and women and can pass from the mother to the fetus through the placenta. After birth, studies also show that the chemicals can pass through a mother’s breast milk.
Studies about the effects of chronic exposure to the chemicals used to make meth are still on the government’s “to do” list. However, many other organizations and professionals have done studies about the dangers of these chemicals. If you read the labels on any of these chemicals, it’s not hard to see just how toxic the chemicals used to make meth are. Further evidence of the dangers of these chemicals can be seen by the breathing apparatus and head-to-toe coverings that HazMat teams use when they are called in to clean up a meth lab home. If these homes weren’t dangerous to our health, then why do they have to wear so much protection when they enter them?
My heartfelt condolences go out to your daughter and to your family. God bless and protect all of your from this day forward.
can meth lab cause a child to have mood cahnges
I can tell you first hand of some of the many many side effects of living in or near a meth house . First off I got sinus infections and headaches, which lead to respiratory problems. This went on for some time. It later lead to burning of the skin.
Horrible mood swings, depression to the point I was willing to end it. loss of memory, forgetting the things I just did. I lost several years of memory I still have friends ask me “dont you remember ” such and such we did..and I cant. I have no memory of it what so ever to this day. Happy and up one day and 3 days depressed. It cost me some very dear relationships to this day. I was always tired and achy, bones joints and muscles hurt everywhere..always felt like my brain was on fire literally.
Sharp pains behind my eyes and streaks of light flashing different colors. Everyone told me it was an early midlife crisis and laughed it off. The medical community told me it was anxiety and stress.
My body would involuntarily jerk and twitch. like electrical pulses coarseing through my body and a constant metal taste in my mouth .
It was later determined that I had mercury poisoning from the meth house ..when they pulled pseudoephedrine off the shelves the makers of meth then started using mercury because of the hallucinogenic properties of it ..and pure grade iodine in powder form and those mixed with hydrogen phosphate,muriatic acid, lithium batteries, and propane, and so many other components found in the home I was sold. Its a wonder the home didn’t explode.
It’s a wonder I didn’t lose my life after being lived in it for 3 years before I knew it was a former meth lab that was still contaminated some 55 times national legal limits.
My boys and I moved into a rental the end of June of this year. The owner layed new carpet and new laminant (fake wood) flooring throughout the house except the bathrooms and kitchen, which still has the old laminant. Everything is newly painted as well as the garage floor. There was a small fire in the garage which still has leftover soot throughout the garage. I found out the previous owner was kicked out due to non-payment and has since then been arrested for drug possession. I do not know what kind of drugs. The current owner purchased the home from the bank. I know the guys name who was arrested, because I keep getting mail for him. Since we moved in, my 10 year old has been suffering from on and off nose bleeds, stomach aches, sore throats, sinus problems and unusual fatigue. My 14 yr. old has suffered from dry and sore throat, sinus problems and unusual fatigue. I have suffered from extreme fatigue, lethargy, headache, severe dry sinuses with occasional nose bleed (which I have never had), and muscle and body aches. I have spoken with an undercover drug officer about the address of the home and it has never been busted as a meth lab, but I know that doesn’t mean it wasn’t used as one. What should my next step or steps be and should I be concerned? I have a fairly good friendship with my landlord. Thank you to whoever is able to answer me quickly!!!!!!
First off Linda I would say that there is only three things you can do to find out. First, contact the neighbors; they’ll know for sure. Second, check out the local police station for info or even local websites that possibly list houses that were used for meth production. Last, hire someone to test your place.
Your story has reinforced that I made the right decision to pull out of the contract that I was just about to put on a pre-existing meth lab. The owner cleaned everything and put in new floors, paint and all the cosmetics. The truth is that nobody knows what chronic exposure to even the most minute traces of the chemicals that meth cooking releases will do to a person.
Good luck and I’d get out of that place if I were you.
I was a police officer working narcotics, and was exposed to the chemicals from a meth labratory. It ended my 15 year career, caused inflamation and burning of my throat and lungs. After several long painful operations I am left with 2/3’s of my lungs, frequent debilitating migranes and a 5+ year legal battle to get my pension. This was after exposure to the chemicals in an enclosed area for no more than 5 minutes.
As a member of Narcotics Anonymous, with many years clean off of Heroin, Missouri still has some pretty big problems with Meth. I moved here from California two years ago, clean and sober. When I found an NA meeting and I am still go to it, I was floored at the % of our members drug of choise was… Meth @ 95 % at our meeting. Many of our members say that getting arrested saved their lives, as they could not stop on their own. My suggestion to parents now a days….. Don’t worry if your kid gets mad at you now about checking their bedrooms, friends and where they abouts. Or even drug testing them yourself! If you even get a small hint that they experimenting with ANY drugs, take charge NOW. You and they can deal with their hurt feelings later. Parents today are too worried about hurting their kids feelings. Feelings don’t kill you…. drugs do!
My daughter was diagnosed with adhd two years ago. My ex-husband, her father, has been or is a meth addict. Is there a possibility that he may have smoked around her or the chemicals in his home could have caused her condition?
There is a chance of meth exposure, her actually having adhd or your doctor is mis-diagnosing. I personally have a problem with doctors and their over diagnosis of physical/mental ailments to the young children of our society. Recently my nieces grandmother wanted to put her on drugs (she is 7) because the doctors say she has adhd after her teachers suggested for a check on the disorder. The girl sucks down more freaking sugar than anyone I know, mostly thanks to the grandmother who wants to drug her up at the ripe age of 7. Welcome to America.
I have been living two doors away from a meth lab. We have finally contacted the right people to take care of this. How do I get my house tested and by who. I have a lot of the syptoms mentioned above and so does my husband. This is a nightmare and by far the most stressed out I have ever been. What about pets?
Lynn,
First of all, I hope that the health problems that you and your husband are having are not too serious. Pets, like people, are also effected by the toxic chemicals in and near a home that’s being used to make meth. One family, that I spoke to from TX, realized they might be living in a former meth lab, when their dog began having seizures after they moved in to a new home.
Meth labs in apartment buildings can cause those living in the apartments adjacent to them to have health issues. While their neighbor is making meth, the fumes from the cooking process can easily travel to neighboring apartments.
Each state has its own list of people that are qualified to do meth lab testing. Beware of hiring just anyone who “says” that they do testing. You need someone certified to do the testing, in order to get an accurate test done in your home, that will provide you with a list that will include many of the chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine, in addition to meth. Which state are you in?
If you moved into a former meth house.Would you test positive for meth if you had a urine test?
I don’t know the answer to that. That’s a great question.
Every thing I have researched on this stuff I find it hard to believe the users are still alive after using this stuff.
I saw a quote by a narcotics cop once that said “there’s a reason why you don’t find any old meth users…they’re all dead”. Meth takes a heavy toll on the body.
I have 2 sons 18 months and 8 months well my youngest keeps gettin these bumps on him the docs say they don’t know what it is and my oldest got a very bad rash on his legs the doc said it was from not changing the diaper well my kids have never had health problems or rashes until me and my ex split up and wheb they spent time wit him they would get worse and worse and for a while they stopped seeing him and their symptoms or whatever went away now that he trys to be a dad and see them again they gettin it back well I had found out that he was using meth and I think my boys were around it or someone or someplace they had done it but idk what else to look for and how I can know for a fact
I am fear for your children, considering what you’ve told me. The first thing that I would do is stop letting your ex take your children without being supervised! I would talk to the police and your sons’ doctor about your suspicions about your ex using meth. Ask for their advice about what you can do to protect your children.
If your ex is using meth, he may be making meth too. Many meth addicts are now making their own meth, because it’s easy and cheap to do and they can make money off of selling it to others. But, whether he is using or making meth, your childrens’ health and safety are in danger, when they are with him.