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
Cole Puffinburger kidnapping tied to grandfather, meth, stolen money, and a Mexican drug cartel
October 20, 2008
(video posting)
A Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada bus driver is being hailed as a hero today for finding six-year old, Cole Puffinburger. Sadly, the reason why Cole was abducted from his Las Vegas home last Wednesday, is rumored to be the result of his grandfather’s ties to meth, money, and a Mexican drug cartel. (click more to see video)
Police suspect that Cole Puffinburger’s abduction was intended to send his Clemens Tinnemayer, 51, his maternal grandfather, a clear message. Clemens Tinnemayer is suspected of stealing between $8 million and $20 million dollars in drug trafficking money from his Mexican meth suppliers. The FBI arrested Tinnemeyer was arrested on Friday for being a “person of interest”.
Tinnemeyer’s neighbors said that up until about 2 years ago, it was common to see cars coming and going from the home that he’d and his wife had lived in for nearly 20 years. Clemens told neighbors that he had a recording studio behind his home and public records show him tied to businesses called Bomber Records Inc., C&C Weston Inc. and Salita Records Inc.
By 2001, neither Tinnemeyer’s carpenter skills or his recording studio, or his wife’s monthly earnings of $3800 for her lunch room job at the local elementary school, were enough to keep up with their mounting debts. Tinnemeyer and his wife filed for bankruptcy in 2001 listing liabilities of nearly $330,000. Listed assets amounted to just over $225,000. Tinnemeyer and his wife also listed three mortgages on their Las Vegas home and thousands of dollars in credit card debt.
Neighbors also say that it wasn’t unusual for their grandson, six-year old, Cole Puffinburger, to spend time with his grandmother at the Tinnemeyer home. But in May of this year, they say Clemens Tinnemeyer left in a motor home and never returned. When a black pickup truck pulled in to the driveway on Sunday, they say no one ever came to the door to see who was parked outside.
S. 1276: Methamphetamine Production Prevention Act of 2008
October 20, 2008
Methamphetamine Production Prevention Act of 2008 ( Became Public Law 10/14/2008)
Amends the Controlled Substances Act to expand written and electronic logbook requirements applicable to sellers and purchasers of listed chemicals (e.g., legal substances used in the production of methamphetamine).
- Requires retail sellers of listed chemicals to use an electronic logbook or a bound paper book to Read more
Drug enforcement teams dismantle meth lab bombs by using robots
October 15, 2008
When the St. Louis County Police purchased their RMI-9WT Bomb Removal Robot with Homeland Security funds in 2005, it cost them $103,000.00. But, if you ask the Franklin County police, they’ll tell you that it’s worth every penny.
After Franklin County police arrived at the scene of an active meth lab, they realized they needed to call for some assistance. St. Louis County Police agreed it was time to pull out all of the stops and deploy their RMI-9WT Bomb Removal Robot.Once the RMI-9WT arrived, police realized they had a problem. The small size of the home prevented sending the robot in to find the bomb. It was time for plan B, a bomb technician was sent in to the home to remove the bomb and hand it off to the RMI-9WT robot that waited outside.
With bomb in hand, the RMI-9WT took the bomb to an open field, where it was detonated. Police described the explosion to a WWII grenade. Shrapnel, they reported, flew as far out as 75 yards away, but no one got injured, thanks to the assistance of the robot.
The RMI-9WT survived the blast, but it didn’t fare as well as the humans involved in the meth lab bust. It sustained nearly $25,000 in damages.
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
Meth Legislation: Senate and Representatives Track Sheet
September 26, 2008
S. 103 - Senator Talent (R-MO) introduced on January 24, 2005 the “Combat Meth Act of 2005,” a bill to respond to the illegal production, distribution, and use of methamphetamine in the United States, and for other purposes. Among many things, the bill would have SAMHSA establish a methamphetamine research, training, and technical assistance center “in consultation with the Director of the National Institutes of Health” The bill was Read more
UC Merced Student Jason West gets charges dropped in plea deal
September 26, 2008
Jason West, 36, a former UMerced doctoral candidate, who was arrested on meth related charges, has agreed to a plea deal that will eliminate charges of grand theft and conspiracy to distribute meth. When the Merced Multi-Agency Narcotics Task Force, the Narcotics Enforcement Team, and the Fresno Methamphetamine Task Force arrested West at his home on the 100 block of Castle Drive in Atwater, they found chemicals and Read more
