Controversy surrounds Utah study on meth lab effects on First Responders
November 20, 2008
The results of a $500,000, two year study ordered by Utah legislators that was designed to examine meth lab exposure and health effects was announced on Wednesday. The approval of the study was prompted when law enforcement officers filed claims for workman’s compensation, alleging that their health problems were Read more
Salt Lake County family denied the right to sue health department over meth lab home
November 15, 2008
Like thousands of people across America, the Alkinani family bought a home expecting that the home was “safe to live in”. But, when neighbors told them that the home had been used as a meth lab, they decided to contact their local health department. The health department admitted that the home had once been used as Read more
Chemicals in Texas meth lab home cause family dog to have seizures
November 7, 2008
The following story is posted with permission from a woman who shared her meth lab home story with me this week. Her story shows just how dangerous the chemicals used in meth labs can be. By sharing her story on Meth Lab Homes, she hopes that others might learn from her family’s experience.
Comment: If meth testing was required by the state before the home was sold, this tragic story would never have occurred.
“My husband and I just bought a house in Texas and are devastated by what we just found out. We were told by neighbors that the guy who lived here before us was a drug dealer. We really had no idea what that meant Read more
Exposure to chemicals in former meth labs can cause serious health problems
November 2, 2008
Residual solids and liquids in the form of surface residues, spills, etc. will remain in place unless physically removed. Until completely and thoroughly removed, there is a possibility of being exposed to these residuals risking injury.
The longer the exposure, the greater the potential for harm. Exposure over an extended period of time (months to years to a lifetime) is known as “chronic exposure.” Not much is known about the chronic health effects from methamphetamine labs. There is scientific evidence, however, that shows that the chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine can cause a variety of health effects including Read more
1995 EPA Policy Report: Effect of toxins on children
October 6, 2008
Children face the highest risk of becoming ill from living in a home where meth is being manufactured or homes where meth was once manufactured. If the home they are living in is still contaminated by the toxic chemicals produced when someone made meth in it, they are at risk every day of developing illnesses that can damage them for life. Read more
Kalamazoo Michigan child goes to hospital for meth exposure
April 9, 2008
Thanks to a family member of a Kalamazoo Michigan 4 year old girl who was admitted to the hospital for breathing problems, the meth lab that put her there will be out of commission. Two days after the girl was admitted to the hospital, a family member told child protective services they thought her problem was due to a meth lab in her home. When child protective services arrived at the home, they found her mother in a bedroom beside an active meth lab. Read more
How Meth Labs can effect your health
April 9, 2008
The Washington State Environmental Health and Safety agency has provided the following information about how meth labs can affect a person’s health.
- 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.
Acute Exposure:
- An acute chemical exposure is one that occurs over a relatively short period of time and may result in Read more
Battling Meth Labs and Meth Mouth in Kentucky
January 4, 2008
Dentists in Kentucky and states across the country know first hand how much damage meth can do to a person’s teeth. Some stories that I’ve read, tell tales of meth addicts, whose teeth have actually broken off while eating ice cream.
“His teeth crooked and blackened, Justin Baker is the face of another reason for Kentucky’s oral hygiene problems: methamphetamine use. They just rotted,” Mr. Baker, 16, said about the damage done in less than a year of drug use.” Read more
Dangers to Children Living in a Meth Lab
August 13, 2007
Exposure to low levels of some meth ingredients may produce headache, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue; exposure to high levels can produce shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, dizziness, lack of coordination, eye and tissue irritation, chemical burns (to the skin, eyes, mouth, and nose), and death. Read more