Meth Labs Pose Multiple Dangers

NEWS RELEASE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE / ROY COOPER, ATTORNEY GENERAL (919) 716-6400

The problems caused by meth addiction are not limited to meth users, or even to people they victimize to get more meth. Another dangerous aspect of meth use is the presence of small meth labs in communities.

Addicts can easily produce their own meth in homemade drug labs using non-prescription medicines and household products. Meth’s key ingredient, pseudoephedrine, is found in many cold medicines which are now harder for criminals to get, thanks to tougher laws. Many meth users learn how to “cook” meth from other addicts or from recipes found on the Internet.

Making meth is a perilous process, because meth ingredients are toxic and explosive. Phosphine gas, ammonia vapors, hydrogen chloride gas, and iodine vapors are life-threatening byproducts that are emitted while cooking meth. They cause severe burns; irritate skin and eyes; and damage lungs and kidneys. Exposure to a meth lab can result in headaches, dizziness, nausea, and even death. Addicts who are “cooking” meth typically do not pay adequate attention to the handling and disposal of the chemicals they use. This increases the chances of fires and explosions in meth labs.

Cooking meth endangers Meth Labs Pose Multiple Dangers both rural and urban communities. Meth labs have been found in homes, apartments, hotels, forests, and even in vehicles. Many are found because they explode or catch fire.

Meth labs and the paranoia of meth users put public employees who visit homes, including firefighters and emergency medical technicians in serious danger. Meth labs also endanger social workers who make home visits. Their knock on the door can surprise and further agitate a meth user, triggering paranoia and sparking an aggressive response. Social workers are receiving training to recognize the signs of meth use and production.

In addition to the dangers posed by chemicals, fumes, fires and explosions, meth production also damages the environment. The battle against meth manufacturing is also a national and international struggle.