Pubdate: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 Source: Greenville News (SC) Copyright: 2003 The Greenville News Contact: http://greenvillenews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/877 Author: Paul Alongi Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) METH LABS PACK RISK OF FUMES, BLASTS James McDonald says he was leaning over a glass container the size of a basketball when it exploded. The blast wedged a chunk of glass in his knee and left him nearly blind for more than two days. It was a first-hand lesson in the dangers law enforcement officers face as they take down methamphetamine labs. The makeshift labs are a new and growing problem for South Carolina, especially the Upstate. Deputies broke up 80 labs in 2002 at an average cost of $4,000 each, said Lt. Robert Gillespie of the Greenville County Sheriff's Office. Labs first became a problem here in 1999 when deputies busted their first one, he said. The labs are filled with a toxic brew of chemicals used to make a potent drug that users call "crystal meth," "speed" or "crank." What makes the labs so appealing to manufacturers is that many of the ingredients are household items, including Sudafed, starting fluid, kerosene and lithium stripped off batteries, McDonald said. A $200 investment in materials can yield $1,500 in drugs, said Sgt. Jim Burriss of the Sheriff's Office. The drug sells for $80 to $100 a gram, depending on the purity, he said. "The profit potential is huge," Burriss said. Cooks learn their craft through word of mouth or on the Internet, officers said. Some have been known to keep cook books, Gillespie said. The most common ways of cooking are known as the "Nazi" or "Red P" methods, said McDonald, a forensic scientist for the county Department of Public Safety. Labs often look like disorganized garages with cans, hot plates and cut up bottles spread across tables. They've been found in hotels, trailers and car trunks. "It's not like walking into your high school chemistry lab," Gillespie said. "It's a plastic Coke bottle over here, a can over here. It's very crude stuff." Labs are often discovered when they catch fire or a neighbor smells a strong chemical odor, McDonald said. Other times, deputies track them down through informants, Burriss said. The Upstate has proven a popular part of the state for meth labs, in part because of the region's remote areas, said John Ozaluk, South Carolina agent in charge for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Inside the labs, danger lurks everywhere, sometimes unseen to the naked eye, McDonald said. Noxious fumes can be wafting through the air, he said. Accidentally combining two chemicals can cause an explosion, McDonald said. McDonald said the explosion at the suspected meth lab in Simpsonville earlier this month was probably the result of water mixing with sodium metal as he cleaned a container. The blast was on a Friday night. McDonald couldn't see until the following Sunday morning. It was a miracle, he said, that his injuries weren't worse. When officers enter meth labs, they first must make sure the room is safe and well-ventilated, Burriss said. Then, they gather evidence, taking fingerprints and photos, he said. A contractor hauls the hazardous materials to a dump, Burriss said. The whole process can take anywhere from less than an hour to 12 hours, he said. Officers wear protective gear when they take down labs, including gloves, boots, special suits and respirators, Burriss said. To help take down labs, law enforcement officers must take a five-day DEA certification class in Quantico, Va., Ozaluk said. They learn everything from how to clean them up to how to incur expenses, he said. One ingredient in meth is anhydrous ammonia, a noxious gas that can be used as a fertilizer. Meth manufacturers often steal it by the tank to avoid leaving a paper trail, McDonald said. When tanks of a potentially lethal gas disappeared from a welding supply business last summer, deputies suspected the thieves were meth cookers who mistook the tanks for anhydrous ammonia. It's one of meth's more dangerous ingredients. Inhaling too much of the gas can be lethal, said Herman Holt, an assistant chemistry professor at the University of North Carolina-Asheville. Scientists are cautious when they use it, venting the room with fume hoods, he said. "If you inhale it, you're going to burn your lungs," Holt said. The meth lab problem is still growing, authorities said. Deputies took down eight labs in one recent week alone, Gillespie said. Ozaluk said authorities statewide have found 90 labs this year. In all of last year, they broke up 100, he said. A problem with labs, he said, is one that many people don't even consider. "Your kids could be out there playing with the kids next door whose mother, father or both is cooking meth," he said. "And you may not have any idea." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin