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29
October 1999
Dangerous Meth Labs Lurk in County
Neighborhoods
This Halloween
weekend, as little ghosts and goblins race from house to house gathering
treats, the County of San Diego Methamphetamine Strike Force
reminds parents that volatile makeshift meth labs have been seized
in nearly every neighborhood of San Diego County.
"These clandestine cooking sites have turned up in homes, apartments,
hotel rooms, storage lockers and in mobile cars and trailers," said
Mike Handman, Supervising Environmental Health Specialist of
the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health. "They
contain toxic chemicals which can pose explosive dangers to neighborhoods."
"The chemicals used in manufacturing meth are some of the most dangerous
around," agreed Dr. Robert K. Ross, Director of the County's Health
and Human Services Agency. "They can cause severe burns and lung
and tissue damage," said Ross.
Strike Force officials report the number of meth lab cleanups
has increased some 38 percent over the last three years. This includes
residual cleanups and the dumping of toxic materials, according to
the Department of Environmental Health. The Drug Enforcement
Administration dismantled 44 meth labs in San Diego County
last year while Environmental Health Specialists have cleaned
up 105 highly toxic sites since 1995.
"It's strained county taxpayers as much as $200,000 dollars a year
cleaning up these dangerous sites," said San Diego County Supervisor
Dianne Jacob. "That's why the Meth Strike Force is enlisting
the help of county residents to be on the lookout for these toxic
labs," she said. "If concerned citizens learn to identify the warning
signs of a meth lab and use our anonymous hotline to report the deadly
sites, we can make a difference in the fight against methamphetamine.
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Strike Force Meth Lab Warning Signs
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| 1. |
Harsh
chemical odors emanating from site. |
| 2. |
Sealed
windows and doors to quell chemical smells. |
| 3. |
Limited
daytime activity at site. |
| 4. |
Pharmaceutical
trash discarded near site especially cold medicines which contain
ephedrine and psudoephedrine ingredients. |
| 5. |
Late
night activity taking place at site, pedestrian traffic coming and
going from inside dwelling. |
| 6. |
Residents
exhibit extreme emotional behavior including anxiety, insomnia, sleeplessness,
paranoiawelcome datacomp and violence. |
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