Medicine :: An Encounter With a Meth Lab May Be CloserThan You Think

A majority of Americans sit in their comfortable livingrooms and offices and believe that they will never be in a'situation' that would expose them to the dangersassociated with methamphetamines. That's just stuff yousee on the news, right? Not necessarily. As they say, beingforewarned is being forearmed and you certainly need to bewell armed to get through a run-in with meth unscathed.

Almost 12 million Americans have tried meth at one timeduring their life, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health ReportMethamphetamine Use, Abuse, and Dependence: 2002, 2003, and 2004, released by the SubstanceAbuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Meth users and manufacturers include peoplefrom every lifestyle. Doctors, lawyers and dentists are no more exempt than factory workers orroofers.

Meth labs are encountered in neighborhoods from affluent to poor. Methamphetamine can becooked virtually anywhere, and commercial buildings, homes, apartments, hotel rooms, trailers,barns, vans, and storage units are just a few of the structures used for labs. Although many arelocated in rural regions for concealment, meth labs can be found in urban and suburban areas.

The danger of fire and explosions is always immediate in meth lab operations and even after they'redismantled, meth labs leave a poisonous trail of chemical dust and vapors that can seep intoneighboring spaces, including adjacent homes, apartments, and hotel rooms. Walls, floors, toys,furniture, ventilating systems, plumbing fixtures, septic systems, and surrounding soil can becontaminated and may require professional decontamination.

Amongst those at risk of exposure are real estate agents, landlords, property managers, potentialtenants and homebuyers, garbage collectors, utility workers, plumbers, social service agents, andfirst responders. Children living in the neighborhood of a meth lab can be placed at risk as well. Infact, thousands of clandestine seizures every year involve children. Visitors or neighbors can beinjured by the toxic fumes that vent from meth labs or from the poisonous "cooking" debris that'ssometimes concealed outside or flushed into a septic system.

The dangers that go along with meth homes include exposure to cancer causing chemicals that cansaturate walls, carpets and other building materials in addition to all contents. Lead and mercuryare frequent by-products. Chemicals, such as solvents, may be disposed of in plumbing or justpoured on the ground. If not removed properly these can cause various health problems. Respiratoryproblems, eye irritation, headaches, dizziness, and nausea are a few of the symptoms people mayexperience if they're exposed to contaminants from a former meth lab site.

Encounters with Meth Users, or "Tweekers", may not be a walk in the park either. Meth inducesintense paranoia and symptoms similar to OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder. Meth users may even

save their urine in bottles stashed away in living areas to recover the unmetabolized meth from theurine. Meth users sometimes become obsessive about objects. They might disassemble things likeappliances, watches or computers. The objects can occasionally be found in a pile dismantled downto the smallest component.

Most people with OCD are pretty harmless except to themselves. According to police reports, theparanoid meth user can be very dangerous. They're frequently reported to have large, sometimeseccentric, weapon collections that may have large quantities of knives. Dangerous booby traps areoften set up to protect the individuals meth stash.

So, how do you know when you're in the presence of a meth lab or potential meth users? Here arejust a few signs:

Meth lab signs:

o Yellow stains on walls, drains, sinks and showers

o Blue discolorations on valves of propane tanks and fire extinguishers

o Smoke detectors that are removed or taped off

o Having physical symptoms while inside the house, such as burning in your eyes or throat, itching,a metallic taste in your mouth and breathing problems

o Peculiar strong odors that smell like materials from a garage, such as solvent and paint thinner,cat urine or ammonia

o The use of security cameras and surveillance equipment

Signs that property owners should look for with their homes and tenants:

o Renters who behave strangely and are exceedingly thin, have open sores, bad teeth or enlargedpupils

o Extensive amounts of trash with items such as lithium batteries, torn-apart matchbooks, waterbottles, cold medicine packs and antifreeze containers

o Stained coffee filters that are not brown

o Plexiglass or other dark-colored cookware

o Glass containers with two layered liquids and chemistry sets

Rapid Response BioDecon recommends that anyone with concerns about potential meth labexposure ask local law enforcement to run a criminal check on the property and, if living in a rentalunit or purchasing a home, request documentation that the property was decontaminatedprofessionally.

For more information, visit http://www.FloridaMethLabCleanUp.com