US Soldiers sickened by chemical found in meth lab homes

National Guard members from Indiana, Oregon, and West Virginia, are among the other U.S. soliders and civilians who have filed lawsuits against KBR, Inc, a company that they say failed to protect their health, while they were working at a water treatment plant for them in Iraq in 2003.  Hexavalent chromium, also known as Chromium-6,  is a chemical that got national exposure in the movie “Erin Brockovitch”, that starred Julia Roberts,  in 2000. Read more

Video: Indiana police warn residents about meth lab trash

Indiana police warn residents about meth lab trash.

Meth lab pictures for renters, realtors, home owners, home buyers

Pictures of meth labs can help renters and home owners can help them identify a meth lab home, just by observing the inside and outside of the home. Pictures are not the only way to identify a meth lab however, as there is no standard situation when it comes to meth labs. But, these pictures may help you to become familiar with some of what you might see inside and outside of a property that is being used or has been used to manufacture methamphetamine.

This is by no means a complete list and is only presented here as another tool to help you identify a “possible” meth lab scene. If you do not see any similarities between these pictures and your home, you should not assume that your home was never a meth lab. If neighbors tell you that they suspect that the previous occupants of your home had drug problems, listen to what they’re telling you! Also, call the police and the health department and ask them if they have any records about your home.

Keep in mind that meth lab clean up contractors say that very few homes that have been used to make meth have ever been busted and/or placed on a quarantined list.

Neighbors may, in fact know more about a house and its occupants, than the police or the health department.  Talk to neighbors who have lived in the neighborhood for a long time – the longer the better.

Lastly, know that the only way to positively identify meth contamination in your house is to have the home tested  for the chemicals used to make meth.

Chemical stains on flooring

Chemical staining on walls and floors often result when chemicals spill during the meth cook.  Floors and carpets are often stained or damaged by meth chemicals that can include liquids such as hydrochloric acid. A former meth lab may also have brand new flooring and carpets, which can signal that the previous flooring was damaged because of meth lab chemical spills.

Fixer-upper buyers beware! Also, keep in mind that meth lab homes may look brand new and not show any of the damages you see in the pictures listed here. Unscrupulous sellers who buy meth lab homes at rock bottom prices often cover stains with carpeting and new flooring and paint walls to minimize any questions or concerns about the home from prospective buyers or renters.

Burned grass or vegetation

Meth lab cooks may cook meth outdoors or burn empty pseudoephedrine packages or blister packaging for cold, allergy, and sinus medicines, to avoid raising the suspicion of anyone seeing the tell-tale meth signs in their trash. Cooking outdoors is remote locations in another way to avoid being detected by neighbors who may smell the chemicals they’re cooking. Cooking outdoors also keeps their homes from getting contaminated or exposing their children to the hazardous chemicals they’re cooking with.  If you see burn pits, stained soil or dead vegetation it may indicate areas where meth lab chemicals have been dumped.

Kitty Litter

Kitty Litter is often used by meth lab cooks to soak up spilled chemicals.  In the first picture, a meth lab cook uses this kitty litter container as part of their meth manufacturing process. Tubing is commonly found at meth labs, where it is often connected to a variety of containers.

Do you see kitty litter in unusual locations? It could indicate that someone used it to absorb a chemical spill.

Housekeeping

When someone is addicted to meth, meth is ALL THAT MATTERS.  The effect of meth on users makes it difficult for them to get organized and keep the kind of focus it would take to keep their house neat and tidy.

Renters who are using meth and/or making meth will try to avoid having their landlord come in to inspect their home, due to its condition and to prevent the landlord from seeing anything that might evoke questions.  Neighbors and other visitors are also avoided by meth lab cooks, for the same reasons.

Windows  are often  covered or blacked-out to keep prying eyes from seeing inside.

Strange Plumbing

Strange plumbing, vent systems, and/or  electrical connections in a house should make you question why someone would have a plumbing, wiring, or electrical system like that in their house, basement, attic, or garage. Could the plumbing be installed to make it easier to dump chemicals without being detected by anyone outside of the house?

Could venting systems be installed in basements to vent out meth lab fumes? Are electrical outlets or wiring found in weird places?

Glassware

Police often find different types of  glassware in meth labs, including glass bottles, jugs, and glass cooking containers.

What should I do if I suspect a meth lab ?

I think someone in my neighborhood is making meth. What should I do?

Meth labs pose a significant number of health and safety issues to anyone in their vicinity. If you think that someone is operating a meth lab, you should report your suspicions to your local police department or Sheriff’s office, once you are a safe distance away from the lab.  Never, ever, try to investigate the situation yourself.

If you don’t want to call the police for anonymity reasons, you can report the meth lab by taking advantage of a service provided by The Kids to Love Foundation. They offer both an online meth tip line at  www.seemethstopmeth.com website and a tip phone line 1-866-303-METH.

The History of Meth began in 1887

What is the history of methamphetamine or meth?

The history of meth began with it’s discovery by Germany in 1887. A century later, countries all over the world are spending billions of dollars to fight and treat the problems created by methamphetamine, a drug now called “the devil”.

First synthesized in 1887 Germany, amphetamine was for a long time, a drug in search of a disease. Nothing was done with the drug,from its discovery (synthesis) until the late 1920’s, when it was seriously investigated as a cure or treatment against nearly everything from depression to decongestant.

In the 1930’s, amphetamine was marketed as Benzedrine in an over-the-counter inhaler to treat nasal congestion (for asthmatics, hay fever sufferers, and people with colds). A probable direct reaction to the Depression and Prohibition, the drug was used and abused by non-asthmatics looking for a buzz. By 1937 amphetamine was available by prescription in tablet form.

Methamphetamine, more potent and easy to make, was discovered in Japan in 1919. The crystalline powder was soluble in water, making it a perfect candidate for injection. It is still legally produced in the U.S., sold under the trade name Desoxyn.

During World War II, amphetamines were widely used to keep the fighting men going (during the Vietnam war, American soldiers used more amphetamines than the rest of the world did during WWII). In Japan, intravenous methamphetamine abuse reached epidemic proportions immediately after World War II, when supplies stored for military use became available to the public.

In the United States in the 1950s, legally manufactured tablets of both dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and methamphetamine (Methedrine) became readily available and were used non medically by college students, truck drivers, and athletes, As use of amphetamines spread, so did their abuse. Amphetamines became a cure-all for such things as weight control to treating mild depression.

This pattern changed drastically in the 1960s with the increased availability of injectable methamphetamine. The 1970 Controlled Substances Act severely restricted the legal production of injectable methamphetamine, causing its use to decrease greatly.

Methamphetamine trafficking and abuse in the United States have been on the rise over the past few years, as indicated by investigative, seizure, price, purity, and abuse data (see “trends” below). As a result, this drug is having a devastating impact in many communities across the nation. Although more common in western areas of the country, this impact increasingly is being felt in areas not previously familiar with the harmful effects of this powerful stimulant.

Clandestine production accounts for almost all of the methamphetamine trafficked and abused in the United States. The illicit manufacture of methamphetamine can be accomplished in a variety of ways, but is produced most commonly using the ephedrine/pseudoephedrine reduction method. Large-scale production of methamphetamine using this method is dependent on ready access to bulk quantities of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. During the past two years, several bulk ephedrine seizures destined for Mexico focused attention on the magnitude of ephedrine acquisition by organized crime drug groups operating from Mexico and in the United States, and set in motion an effort to focus international attention on the ephedrine diversion problem and to take action to prevent such diversion.

Drug law enforcement efforts against clandestine methamphetamine producers constitute a “cat and mouse” game between efforts to cut off chemical supplies and efforts to obtain them from non-regulated sources. Past experience has demonstrated that methamphetamine traffickers are relentless, flexible, and creative in finding new ways to obtain chemicals by evading the network of international controls that has been established. The Federal Government currently is preparing regulations to further reduce the diversion of pharmaceutical products containing chemicals, such as ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, that can be used to produce illegal drugs. It has consulted with corporations within the pharmaceutical industry to develop a solution to the diversion problem that does not unduly restrict the availability of these chemicals for legitimate use.

Domestically, large-scale production of methamphetamine is centered in California. In addition, methamphetamine increasingly is produced in Mexico and smuggled into the United States. Methamphetamine laboratory operators often are well-armed, and their laboratories occasionally are booby-trapped and equipped with scanning devices employed as security precautions. Weaponry, ranging from single firearms to arsenals of high-powered weapons and explosives, are commonly found at laboratory sites. Not only are methamphetamine laboratories used to manufacture illegal, often deadly drugs, but the clandestine nature of the manufacturing process and the presence of ignitable, corrosive, reactive, and toxic chemicals at the sites have resulted in explosions, fires, toxic fumes, and irreparable damage to human health and to the environment.

Traditionally, the suppliers of methamphetamine throughout the United States have been outlaw motorcycle gangs and numerous other independent trafficking groups. Although these groups continue to produce and distribute methamphetamine, organized crime drug groups operating from Mexico currently dominate wholesale methamphetamine trafficking in the United States for several reasons: these organizations established access to wholesale ephedrine sources of supply on the international market; these organizations are producing unprecedented quantities of high-purity methamphetamine on a regular basis; and, they already control well-established cocaine, heroin, and marijuana distribution networks throughout the western United States, enabling them to supply methamphetamine to a large retail level market. Their expansion into the methamphetamine trade has added a new dimension to their role in the U.S. drug market and has redefined the methamphetamine problem in the United States. Presently, these organizations are poised to supply methamphetamine to the rest of the country in response to any increases in demand.

Decontaminate a meth lab: What you have to do when the police leave

What happens after the police bust a home that’s been used as a meth lab? When there has been a meth lab bust at the home, an initial cleanup of the property will be conducted by a Hazmat crew that will be called in by the police. The Hazmat team will remove any containers and chemicals that they find on the property, afterwhich a sign should be posted on the property warning others that the property is unsafe. The removal of the containers, chemicals and other drug paraphernalia that are found at a meth lab are just the first step in the process of a meth lab clean up.

Step two is the decontamination process, which includes the removal of the chemicals that remain inside of the home. Responsibility for the decontamination of a former meth lab is given to the home owner, including the cost of hiring professionals who are skilled at removing any remaining toxic chemical residues in the home. Certified professionals must insure that a home or other property meets all standards set by the state where the home is located.

Some states require that “cleaned” properties meet strict state regulations about the chemical contaminants that remain in homes where meth has been manufactured, however not all states do. Self-cleaning a property is not recommended as the cleaning chemicals can react with the chemicals that remain in the home, which can have unpredictable and life threatening health and safety consequences.

Current laws say that removing the chemicals and containers found at a meth lab site, is all that state and local agencies are required to do after a meth lab has been discovered. After the police leave, it’s up to the property owner to pay for the expense of decontaminating their property.

Chronic Toxicity: The meth lab toxins that keep on giving

What kind of health problems can be caused by living in a home that’s been used as a meth lab? Living in a former meth lab home that is still contaminated with toxic chemicals over a period of months or years can have long term effects on your health. Long term exposure to toxins is known as chronic toxicity.

Chronic toxicity, put simply, is the illness that arises  after you’ve been exposed to small amounts of toxic chemicals over a long period of time. According to the Partnership for a Drug Free America, chronic exposure to meth lab chemicals leads to chronic Read more

Caveat Emptor – Essential Latin words for meth lab home buyers

Caveat Emptor is a term that lawyers, judges, and realtors know well, but how many home buyers know what it means? If you’re not a lawyer, judge, or a realtor, you probably don’t know or care what Caveat Emptor means. Yet, if you’re thinking about buying a home, it is probably one of the most important Latin terms that you should know.
Read more

What are VOCS ?

VOCS or “volatile organic compounds” are carbon-based chemicals that evaporate easily at room temperature. VOCS can be found in everyday products like paint, varnish, paint stripping chemicals and adhesives. Although, commonly used for legitimate purposes, they are also used in the process of manufacturing methamphetamine.

Exposure to VOCS cause health problems, which Read more

Smurfing – It’s not about cartoons anymore

Smurfing definition – buying ingredients to make meth by purchasing ingredients used to make meth in small quantities from several locations. The increase in smurfing by meth cooks have grown from the passage of laws restricting the sale of products containing pseudoephedrine and the increased awareness of the public about meth labs. Read more

Next Page »