Meth Labs

While it is not likely that you'll be running across one of these soon, I am posting this information as a matter of public interest. These labs are becoming more commonplace these days and would likely be pretty apparent anyway, but here you go....

The number of Meth labs seized in Canada increased by 925% between 1998 and 2003. Meth is a powerful dangerous illegal drug that is increasing in popularity and use among many today. The dangers of producing this drug are also significant. Why is this? What makes meth production so dangerous? What signs give away the existence of a meth lab in your neighbourhood?

First of all, for every pound of meth produced 5-7 pounds of waste result. This waste is toxic. It is dumped into local rivers, streams, backyards, or flushed down the drain, its toxins infiltrating local water supplies and poisoning local wildlife.

Secondly, highly volatile gasses are the hazardous byproducts of the chemical reactions necessary to produce Meth. These gasses are very easy to ignite and cause a great deal of damage (think of a gaseous form of dynamite, without a fuse). Meth labs are often set up in houses in residential neighbourhoods. Explosions that can level an entire building are disturbingly common.

Finally, a building that has housed a Meth lab requires extensive decontamination before it is habitable again. This decontamination must be done by a team from Environment Canada, led by a chemist. Members of this team must wear Hazmat suits at all times. The cost of this cleanup averages about $5000, but can cost as much as $100,000.

As meth abuse spreads throughout our country and reaches every segment of society, meth labs are becoming an increasing problem. City-dwellers might dismiss meth labs as a rural problem, but in reality, meth labs are found in apartments and motel rooms as well as in the suburbs, isolated homes and farmlands. A meth lab requires no more room than a trailer or even the canopy area of a large pickup truck.

It is already far too sad that many lives are destroyed through meth abuse. Unfortunately, meth abuse affects far more people than the many who suffer the addiction; for all those who live in its vicinity, a meth lab poses not only a risk to their personal health, but also risk of property damage due to fire and explosion. And, as much of the toxic waste of meth labs is dumped illegally in public lands, we all suffer.

Thankfully, if we can recognize the telltale signs of a meth lab in our midst, we can report it to the police and slowly fight the spread of these destructive operations.

• Strong, unpleasant smells. Anyone who has ever owned a cat will recognize the acrid smell of ammonia. If you notice a "cat urine" smell strongly emanating from a nearby building, or notice any other strong chemical smells, it's unlikely that cats are to blame - especially if any of the following observations coincide with the smell.

• Deliberate attempts to prevent anyone from seeing inside the building. Often the questionable building either has no windows or, more suspiciously, the windows are covered somehow.

• Lots of traffic. A meth lab will have many frequent, brief visits at strange hours of the day, often at night in the hopes that all neighbors are asleep.

• Copious quantities of garbage. A meth labs uses lots of chemicals like stove fuel, white gasoline, ammonia, propane tanks, paint thinner and antifreeze, not to mention cold and diet pills. And equipment like glass containers and tubing is always in use. If your neighbor is careless enough to leave all of the empty containers out on the curb for garbage pickup, then the sheer quantity of trash should make you suspicious. But you should never inspect the garbage yourself; meth lab equipment and waste are extremely hazardous. It's far more likely that your neighbor will never leave the garbage out at the curb for pickup, but instead always ship the garbage elsewhere so as to avoid detection.

• Secrecy. Whether in an apartment or a house, your neighbor will likely want nothing to do with you. If you've tried to interact with your neighbor, but always found yourself talking through a closed or barely cracked door (and notice any other strange activity or smells), the neighbor may be hiding a meth lab from you. However, you must never approach a building or residence where you already suspect meth cooking. Not only might the lab explode, but also the toxic fumes of a meth lab can kill a person.

• Rent paid in cash. If you're a landlord, a tenant running a meth lab would almost certainly pay rent in cash.

• All this, and then nothing. The cookers often abandon their meth labs, but that hardly means you and other neighbors can breathe a sigh of relief yet. An abandoned meth lab is still a toxic environment containing hazardous, volatile waste.