METH SUSPECTS' LAWYERS SICKENED BY DRUG FUMES

Others Complain Of Court's Air Quality; Tests Done

CROSSVILLE, Tenn. - Two public defenders walked out of court last week
after one complained of feeling sick, and attorneys say part of the
blame lies in the fumes from several defendants charged with making
the homemade drug methamphetamine.

''Thursday afternoon they did inform me that one of them - Ms. Lyons -
was feeling sick and that they were leaving,'' General Sessions Judge
Steven Douglas said. As a result, some cases on the docket for that
day had to be postponed.

Public Defender David Brady said he had previously given two of his
assistants, Cindy Lyons and Joe Fendley, permission to leave court if
they felt such symptoms again, and instructions that they seek medical
treatment.

''I am treating it as a situation of employees having to work in a
hazardous environment, and I'm taking it seriously,'' Brady said.

The public defenders are not the only people complaining about the air
quality in the courtroom. Douglas' secretary and clerks in the
Cumberland County Circuit Court clerk's office have complained of a
variety of symptoms including headaches; burning eyes, nose, mouth and
skin; and nausea.

The symptoms have caused disorientation and an inability to
concentrate on their work.

Methamphetamine is a dangerous illegal stimulant that can be - and
often is - made by addict ''cooks'' in house kitchens using volatile
combinations of household chemicals, fertilizers and over-the-counter
medications. The ''cooking'' process of the drug can give off strong
fumes that can be toxic and can sometimes cause explosions.

Meth has been a serious problem on the Cumberland Plateau and
throughout Cumberland County.

The public defenders left the courtroom as tests on the air quality of
the courtroom were being conducted. Douglas said the company
conducting the tests, Environmental Consulting and Testing of
Knoxville, have told him that the presence of a host of odors and
their sources can be detected, including meth.

It was the second test conducted on the courtroom, and other tests are
planned.

''There is definitely a problem,'' Douglas said. ''I don't know if it
is a problem with a sick building, sewer gas, meth on the clothes of
some defendants or a combination of things.''

Poor ventilation is being blamed for at least part of the problem. The
courtroom does not have a fresh air intake, and heating and cooling
units simply recirculate the stale air in the room. Improving
ventilation for the courtroom might help the situation. But Douglas
noted that the problem also existed in the county Justice Center when
General Sessions Court was housed there, causing the judge to conclude
that at least part of the problem is meth odors coming from the
clothes of some defendants.