FHM TRAINING TOOLS
This training presentation is part of FHM’s
commitment to creating and keeping safe
workplaces.
Be sure to check out all the training programs
that are specific to your industry.
Public Awareness of the
Dangers Associated with
Methamphetamine Labs
Why you should be
concerned when
Methamphetamine
clandestine cooking labs
show up in your
community?
What is Methamphetamine?
Psycho-stimulant
Powerful upper
Affects the central
nervous system
Increases
metabolism, heart
rate, blood pressure
Increases body
temperature and rate
of breathing
Produces euphoria
“Poor Man’s Cocaine”
What is it Called?
Meth
Crystal
Speed
Glass
Ice
Crank
Cat
Christi
Honey
Dreams
Clouds
Peanut Butter
How is it taken?
Snorted
Smoked
Injected
Eaten
In the past, Methamphetamine was primarily
associated with outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Once considered a cult drug
Fastest spreading drug to come from California
3 to 4 times as easy to make as the old drug
3 to 4 times as potent as the old drug
Ingredients are common chemicals purchased over the counter
2 to 4 hours to cook a batch (old method took 20 hours)
What does Methamphetamine
look like?
Unfinished Product
– Powder Base
– Liquid Base
– May not resemble what
is thought to be
Methamphetamine
Finished Product
– Granular Powder
– White to off-white,
pink, yellow
– May have tacky or oily
texture
Brown meth - resembles heroin
How Methamphetamine affects
individuals in your community…
Renee
Age 21
Results from using
Methamphetamine
Physical Effects
Sweating
Weight loss/malnutrition
Increased heart rate
Increased body temperature
Increased blood pressure
Insomnia
Open sores and/or itchy, dry skin
Uncontrollable body movements/seizures
Shortness of breath
Seizures
Continuous/excessive dilation of pupils
Damage to internal organs, heart, liver, and brain
An example of “crank bugs”
Picture taken in 1995
Same subject in 2000, 35 years of age
Psychological Effects
Delusions
Extreme paranoia
Hallucinations
Increased alertness
Sense of well-being
Prolonged depression
Excessive excitation and talking
Panic
Anxiousness and nervousness
Moodiness and irritability
Potential for violence is high…
Documented:
Users have reacted
violently to the sight of a
uniformed officer
Meth users almost always
verbally or physically
assault officers
They have admitted hiding
weapons in case they feel
threatened
These weapons are not
limited to guns; knives,
axes, and hammers are
their favorites
How to spot a
Methamphetamine
cooking operation
(Lab) in your
community
(neighborhood)
What do clandestine labs look like,
and why are they considered
extremely dangerous?
Toxic time bombs
Highly flammable
liquids
Caustics
Acids
Gases
Explosive
Location of labs
Houses
Businesses
Hotel Rooms
Apartments
Garages
Barns
Storage Facilities
Cars
Fields
Remote Locations
Suitcase Lab
Steamer Trunk Lab
Auto Trunk Lab
Mobile Home Lab
(plastic hose used to vent odors/gases)
Storage Shed/Out-Building Lab
Chemicals commonly found at lab sites:
Ephedrine/Pseudoephedrine cold tablets or diet pills
Denatured alcohol, rubbing alcohol, or gas line
anti-freeze (Heat)
Starting fluid (ether)
Muriatic or sulfuric acids, lye (drain cleaners)
Solvents such as toluene, naphtha, camping fuel,
paint thinner, freon, and acetone
Red phosphorous
Iodine
Anhydrous ammonia
Hydrogen chloride gas
Precursors
Mini Thins
Sudafed
Ephedrine
Pseudo-ephedrine
Decongestants
Bronchial Dilators
Solvents
Camping Stove Fuel
White Gas
Denatured Alcohol
Ether
Ethyl Alcohol
Acetone
Starter Fluid
Carpet Cleaner
Pool Chlorine
Dangers of Methamphetamine
React to air
React to water
React to shock or
movement
React to each other
Attack your eyes
Attack your
lungs/kidneys
Burn your skin
KILL YOU
Other indicators that signal
Methamphetamine cookers
are in your neighborhood…
Unusually large and repetitive
purchases or thefts of:
Starter Fluid (Ether)
Denatured Alcohol
Heet (Methanol)
Drano, Red Devil Lye, or other type
of caustic soda
Red Phosphorous, toluol, paint
thinner
Pseudoephedrine tablets (MiniThins, Sudafed, etc.)
Sulfuric Acid (Battery Acid),
Muriatic Acid
Freon, Hydrogen Chloride Gas,
Acetone
DMSO2 or MSM (Animal nutritional
supplement)
Anhydrous Ammonia
Thefts of Anhydrous
Ammonia product from
farms and fertilizer
dealers/outlets
Anhydrous Ammonia
tanks with tampered
valves, hoses,
attempts to drill holes
in tanks
Attempted theft of
entire tanks
The tampering of propane tanks…
Indicators: corrosion around valve;
tank bloated or otherwise deformed
Trash outside home, garages, out-buildings, remote
areas of backyards, or remote areas of farm fields
(look for specific items related to Meth cooking)
Clandestine Lab Dump Sites
For every one pound of
meth, six pounds of
waste is created
Hazardous materials
including acids, solvents,
caustics, and other toxic
chemicals
Dumped in ditches,
roadsides, cul-de-sacs,
rivers, lakes, backyards,
drains, etc.
Sites considered EPA
toxic sites require special
cleanup procedures
If you suspect a Methamphetamine Lab
is operating in your neighborhood…
DO NOT attempt to detain or apprehend
individuals (they are dangerous)
DO NOT enter the site (the environment of
Meth operations is extremely hazardous)