FUMES FROM THE METH-MAKING PROCESS CAN BE HARMFUL TO CHILDREN, DOCTOR SAYS

Four children were taken from a home near Weldon Spring after a raid turned
up a meth lab, police say. The chemicals used to make meth can damage the
lungs, liver and kidneys of children.

Children who live in homes where methamphetamine is being made could face
serious health risks, an expert says.

Inhalation of fumes from chemicals used in the meth cooking process -
including phosphorous, sulfur, strong alkalines or acids - can cause
pulmonary damage, said Dr. Christopher Long, director of toxicology for St.
Louis University School of Medicine.

"There is also the potential for liver and kidney damage as well as a
carcinogenic effect, particularly with a developing child," he said.

Four young children were taken into custody Wednesday morning by the
Division of Family Services after police raided a home in the 700 block of
Cedar Glen in an unincorporated area of St. Charles County near Weldon
Spring. Children who are taken from a home where meth is believed to have
been made are routinely examined by a physician, Division of Family
Services officials said. They would not provide details on this case.

Police said that the smell of ether was overwhelming in the home. The
children, three boys and a girl ranging in age from 5 to 8, were found
sleeping under some bunk beds.

Long said that ether was a narcotic and that fumes from it would have left
the children feeling groggy.

"It may not have knocked them out, but it certainly would have made them
sleepy," he said.

Steven Golet, 32, and Cheryl D. Paluczak, 35, who live at the Cedar Glen
address, have been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and
manufacturing a controlled substance. They were released Wednesday after
posting $20,000 bail each.

Three of the children were related to Paluczak. The other child was related
to another woman found in the home. She has not been charged.

The children didn't have anything to eat and were in dirty clothes when
police served a search warrant on the home. While waiting for Division of
Family Services officials to arrive, a 5-year-old handed a pack of
cigarettes, containing several marijuana cigarettes, to an officer and
asked her if she wanted some pot, police said.

Deb Hendrichs, public information officer for the Division of Family
Services, said that once children were placed in their custody, caseworkers
look for a relative to place the child with, or turn to traditional foster
care.

A plan is then developed with the aid of the caseworker, juvenile officer,
counselor and foster parents.