Meth cooks toss their toxic waste wherever is most convenient for them- backyards, along the roadside, in creeks or ponds,
or out in the woods. It's important that if you come upon any suspicious trash, DO NOT TOUCH IT!! Dozens
of people including hunters, farmers and children have run across these dumps and have been injured by expolsions, corrosive
materials or poisonous gas.
How Do You Know What is Dangerous?
Coolers and thermos' are often used to transport Anhydrous Ammonia which builds up a tremendous amount of pressure and
can explode. Never open or kick a cooler or thermos you find. Often meth cooks will use soda bottles as generators.
The plastic is usually discolored and often will have some tubing sticking out of the cap. These bottles are very
dangerous and are often appealing to kids. These bottles continue to give off toxic gas for a long time and can cause
severe lung irritation and even chemical pneumonia. Other materials in and around a meth dump will likely be contaminated
as well. Don't touch any of it. Call law enforcement immediately and report it. They will need to send out
special teams to clean the area.
What Does Meth Trash Look Like?
Meth waste contains all the stuff that was not used up in the manufacturing process. Some common items include:
- multiple empty boxes of cold pills,
- acetone cans
- rubbing alcohol bottles
- propane tanks or fire extinguishers (often with bluish green corrosion on the nozzle)
- coolers/thermos
- soda bottles with tubing
- stripped out lithium batteries
- mason jars
- coffee filters
- starting fluid
- boxes of matches
Any of these combined or in large quantities probably indicates the remnants of a meth lab. Stay away from the items
and call local law enforcement. If your child has touched any meth trash, please call an emergency room prior to taking
them in.
