Product No. 2002-L0424-001 BULLETIN - Justice

Product No. 2002-L0424-001

BULLETINI N F O R M AT I O N

JULY 2002

U. S. D E P A R T M E N T O F J U S T I C E

Overview

An increasing number of children in theUnited States are exposed to toxic chemicalsbecause methamphetamine laboratories are beingoperated in or near their homes. In addition, thesechildren often are abused or neglected by theparents, guardians, or others who operate theselaboratories. The number of children found atseized methamphetamine laboratory sites in theUnited States more than doubled from 1999through 2001.

Methamphetamine laboratory sites typicallycontain toxic chemicals and waste as well as fin-ished product and drug paraphernalia. Children whoinhabit homes where laboratories are present ofteninhale dangerous chemical fumes or gases or ingesttoxic chemicals or illicit drugs. Exposure to thesesubstances can cause serious short- and long-termhealth problems including damage to the brain,liver, kidneys, lungs, eyes, and skin. Children whoseparents or guardians produce or abuse methamphet-amine also are likely to develop emotional andbehavioral problems stemming from abuse orneglect. In addition, inhaling or ingesting toxicsubstances such as those present at methamphet-amine laboratories may cause cancer or death.

Few areas of the country have programs inplace to coordinate the social and legal aspects ofcases involving children at methamphetaminelaboratories; however, implementation of an effec-tive program is possible, as illustrated by the DrugEndangered Children (DEC) program in California.

Rates of Exposure

Most, if not all, of the children present atmethamphetamine laboratories are exposed todangerous chemicals including precursor chemi-cals, reagents used to convert precursor chemicalsinto methamphetamine, solvents, and the drugitself. The number of children present at seizedmethamphetamine laboratory sites increasedPhoto courtesy of the Press Enterprise newspaper–Riverside, California

A 5-year-old boy had to be decontaminated when police founda clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in his Palm Springshome in November 1999. Riverside County Fire Department/California Department of Forestry Capt. Larry Katuls leads theboy, wearing a protective suit, to a police car.

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Children at Risk

from 950 in 1999 to 2,028 in 2001, according tothe Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) El PasoIntelligence Center (EPIC) National ClandestineLaboratory Seizure System as of May 15, 2002. In2001 approximately 35 percent (700) of the 2,028children found at methamphetamine laboratory sitestested positive for toxic levels of chemicals in theirbodies. (See Table 1.) In 2001 the states reporting thehighest number of children present at methamphet-amine laboratories were California (503), Washington(326), Oregon (241), and Missouri (161). Thesefigures are recognized as underreported becausemany states do not keep records on children presentat laboratory sites or medically evaluate them forthe presence of drugs or chemicals.

Effects of Exposure

Chemicals used in methamphetamine productionare extremely hazardous (see Table 2 on page 3).The risk of exposure to toxic chemicals at laboratorysites may be much greater for children than foradults. Young children, unlike adults, engage inbehavior that can lead to increased incidents ofexposure such as placing their hands and objects intheir mouths and playing on floors, tabletops, andcountertops or outdoors in the dirt. Producers whooperate laboratories in or near residences oftenproduce methamphetamine using common house-hold items including kitchen utensils, dishes,appliances, sheets, and other linens. These items maybecome contaminated and then fall into the hands ofunsuspecting children. Toxic chemicalsalso frequently are discarded outdoors near areaswhere children play. For example, in April 2002 amethamphetamine laboratory was discovered inthe bedroom of a 1-year-old child in Deville,

Louisiana. According to officers from the DevillePolice Department, the child was found movingabout the home in a walker at the time of the raid.The infant’s parents were charged with multipledrug-related crimes as well as child desertion,which includes negligent exposure of a childyounger than 10 to dangerous or hazardous situa-tions. Local authorities took custody of the child.

The physical effects resulting from exposure tothe toxic chemicals present at methamphetaminelaboratories vary based on the manner in which thechemicals are introduced into the body. Children atmethamphetamine laboratories may absorb chemi-cals into their bodies via ingestion, inhalation, skincontact, or accidental injection.

Although exposure most frequently resultsfrom inhalation or through contact with the skin,ingestion poses the greatest risk to a child’s health.Children may ingest toxic chemicals by eating ordrinking contaminated food or beverages—whichmay be prepared using the same kitchen utensils andappliances used for methamphetamine production—or by placing a contaminated object into theirmouths. Children also have consumed variousforms of methamphetamine. Ingesting toxic chemi-cals or methamphetamine may result in potentiallyfatal poisoning, internal chemical burns, damage toorgan function and development, and harm andinhibition to neurological and immunologic devel-opment and functioning.

Long-Term Risks to ChildrenA child’s developing brain and other organs aremore susceptible to damage at specific matura-tional levels, and children may be less able toprocess and eliminate chemicals than adults. Achild exposed to toxic chemicals may developacute or chronic diseases such as cancer andorgan damage. In addition, children who havelived in a home where methamphetamine wasproduced often exhibit emotional and behavioralproblems that may persist indefinitely.

Source: Drug Endangered Children Program.

Table 1. Children at MethamphetamineLaboratories

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9991 059 051

0002 847,1 043

1002 820,2 007

Source: DEA EPIC National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System.

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National Drug Intelligence Center

Inhaling chemical vapors and gases resultingfrom the methamphetamine production processcauses shortness of breath, cough, and chest pain.Exposure to these vapors and gases may also causeintoxication, dizziness, nausea, disorientation, lack ofcoordination, pulmonary edema, chemicalpneumonitis, and other serious respiratory problemswhen absorbed into the body through the lungs.

The chemicals used to produce methamphet-amine may cause serious burns if they come intocontact with the skin. Chemicals often are spilledonto surfaces within the household where metham-phetamine laboratories are operating, and some-times the chemicals are spilled directly onto chil-dren present in these areas.

Many methamphetamine producers also abusethe drug, sometimes via injection. This increasesthe risk of a child’s being injected accidentallywith methamphetamine or other drugs whenneedles and drug paraphernalia are left within achild’s reach. Contact with contaminated needlesalso can expose children to infectious diseasessuch as HIV and hepatitis.

Children at methamphetamine laboratories areat risk for other injuries as well. Some chemicalsused in methamphetamine production are highlyvolatile and may ignite or explode if mixed or storedimproperly. For example, in February 2001 CatoosaCounty, Georgia, authorities responded to a fire andexplosion in a home. An 11-month-old infant was

Source: DEA Office of Diversion Control.

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Table 2. Hazardous Chemicals Used in Methamphetamine Production

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rushed to the hospital in critical condition with burnsand other injuries. The infant passed away afterseveral months. The parents, who were fugitives,were captured in July 2001 while attempting topurchase precursor chemicals.

Related Abuse andNeglect

Methamphetamine producers and abuserstypically become so preoccupied with the drug thatthey abuse or neglect their children. According toInland Narcotics Clearing House data, nearly 70percent of the child abuse cases reported in River-side and San Bernardino Counties, California,during 2001 were methamphetamine-related.Children whose parents or guardians produce orabuse methamphetamine typically lack properimmunizations, medical care, dental care, andnecessities such as food, water, and shelter. Forexample, in March 2002 Los Angeles CountySheriff’s deputies found four children who werebegging for food in their neighborhood in DiamondBar, California. The deputies found that the childrenhad been left alone in their home, which had nofood, water, or electricity. The children led thedeputies to a methamphetamine laboratory in thefamily’s garage. The children frequently werepresent at the laboratory because they were beinghomeschooled in the same garage.

Strategies to AssistChildren at Risk

Law enforcement authorities, prosecutors,social workers, medical professionals, and hazard-ous materials cleanup crews are increasingly awareof the serious risks faced by children who arepresent at methamphetamine laboratories. However,many communities have not yet implementedstrategies that allow legal, social, and medicalprofessionals to combine their resources effectivelyand break the cycle of child endangerment.

Butte County, California, developed a col-laborative effort to improve the safety and health

of children endangered by drug production,distribution, and abuse in 1993 when it initiated theDrug Endangered Children (DEC) program. DECbrings together law enforcement officers, socialworkers, public health nurses, and district attorneys ina cooperative effort to remove children from homeswhere methamphetamine is produced and to safe-guard the children from further abuse and neglect.

The DEC program is a model by which manyagencies can learn how to best address the legal,medical, and social issues associated with childrenpresent at methamphetamine laboratories and otherhazardous drug production and abuse environ-ments. A key component of the DEC program is aresponse team that is on call 24 hours a day. TheDEC Response Team—which includes social

Four-Year-Old Child Foundat Methamphetamine

Production SiteIn March 2000 narcotics task force officers and aDEC social worker in Butte County discovered amethamphetamine laboratory at a residence whileconducting a probation search. Upon arrival, theydiscovered a 4-year-old girl, naked, playing outdoorsbeside laboratory waste and a dead cat. It wasdiscovered that her mother had been producingmethamphetamine in a travel trailer located on theproperty. The child drew pictures and spoke clearlyabout a glass smoking pipe and numerous incidentsof domestic violence she had witnessed in the home.The mother was arrested for manufacturingmethamphetamine, maintaining a residence tomanufacture, being armed in commission of afelony, and child endangerment. The child wastaken to a local hospital for lab work and a physicalexam where toxicology screens were positive formethamphetamine and other illicit drugs. She wasinfested with head lice and was suffering frominfections in both ears, which required immediatemedical attention. The child, who was developmen-tally delayed, was placed in a foster home thatdeals specifically with drug exposed, at-risk children.

Source: DEC.

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workers, trained fire department personnel (mem-bers of the hazardous materials unit, in particular),public health nurses, and law enforcement person-nel—is called upon frequently to treat and care forchildren found at laboratory sites and assist withthe criminal investigation. The entire DEC Re-sponse Team receives specialized training regard-ing methamphetamine production and the circum-stances specific to drug endangered children, andall personnel have experience or receive training incriminal investigations related to evidence collec-tion in child endangerment cases.

In Butte County, California, where the DECprogram was informally developed in 1993, theteam has removed 80 to 100 children from drug-related endangerment situations each year since itsinception and has successfully prosecuted hun-dreds of cases of child endangerment. Othercounties in California have had similar success,and nine other states (Washington, Oregon, Idaho,Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Oklahoma, Missouri, andIllinois) have begun to replicate DEC ResponseTeams in their local communities. In RiversideCounty the DEC program was officially begun in1999. During the initial 18 months, 33 metham-phetamine laboratories were seized where childrenwere present. Eighty-three children were taken intocustody, and felony charges were filed against 75individuals. In Orange County the DEC team hascoordinated the removal of children from metham-phetamine laboratories and has assisted the OrangeCounty District Attorney’s Office with chargingtheir parents with felony child endangerment.

Due to the success of the program in Califor-nia where it is now operating in 15 counties, theNational Methamphetamine Chemical Initiative(NMCI) will fund the travel of DEC instructors toother states interested in starting a program. (SeeDEC Points of Contact on page 6.)

Outlook

The number of children present at methamphet-amine laboratories, which more than doubled from1999 through 2001, is expected to continue toincrease at an even higher rate. As the number ofchildren present at methamphetamine laboratoriesincreases, more will suffer the physical and psy-chological effects associated with exposure todangerous chemicals, and the number of relatedabuse and neglect cases will increase. Law en-forcement agencies, medical personnel, and socialworkers will continue to be challenged to developinnovative solutions such as the DEC program toaddress this problem.

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DEC Points of Contact

Antonio LoyaCalifornia Precursor Committee and NMCI CoordinatorDEC TrainingTelephone: (619) 557-7847Fax: (619) 235-2770E-mail: [email protected]

Kathleen West, Ph.D.DEC Resource CenterTelephone: (310) 452-5968Fax: (310) 452-5857E-mail: [email protected]

Sources

Associated Press

Catoosa County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office

Columbia UniversityNational Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse

Department of JusticeDrug Enforcement Administration

El Paso Intelligence CenterNational Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System

Deville, Louisiana, Police Department

Drug Endangered Children Program

Inland Narcotics Clearing House (CA)

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office

Los Angeles Times

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319 Washington Street 5th Floor, Johnstown, PA 15901-1622 • (814) 532-4601

NDIC publications are available on the following web sites:ADNET http://ndicosa LEO home.leo.gov/lesig/ndicRISS ndic.riss.net INTERNET www.usdoj.gov/ndic

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