Part A - Society for Public Health Education

isks. Poisonous vapors produced during the cooking process permeatethe furnishings and structure of houses and buildings, often making themuninhabitable.• Environmental remediation. Cleaning up a meth lab and its surroundingenvironment becomes a federal, state, local, and individual (e.g., propertyowners and landlords) liability, with varying costs depending on size, extentof contamination, and other factors.• Chemical burns and respiratory damage to neighbors and public safety personnelwho were exposed to smoke from chemical fires caused by explosiveingredients used to make meth.SignsMeth can be made at any time and in any place—from homes, motels, sheds,storage facilities, barns, and even cars. School officials and parents should beaware of and able to recognize the outward signs of a meth lab in the community.The signs include the following:© 2007 Society for Public Health Education• Residence or other building structure with boarded up or blacked outwindows• Hoses or tubing running out of a residence or other building structure• Extension cords running to outbuildings from a residence or other buildingstructure• Excessive trash (including items such as cold medicine packages, antifreezeand drain cleaner containers, coffee filters, batteries, duct tape,and glass beakers and containers) in or near a residence or other buildingstructure• Chemical odors (like cat urine, fingernail polish, ether, solvents, vinegar,or ammonia) in or near a residence or other building structure• Extensive home or building security (e.g., cameras, monitors, fencing)• Visible areas in the yard where chemicals have been dumped or spilled(such as dead, dying, or discolored grass and vegetation and stainedsoil)• Increased or excessive activity in or around a residence or other buildingstructure, especially at night (e.g., excessive amount—or more thanwould be expected—of foot and vehicular traffic coming and going fromthe location)• Dark stains from chemicals in the bathtubs, sinks, toilets, or on walls of aresidence or other building structurePart A: An Educational Toolkit for Health Educators51