THE SILENT VICTIMS OF THE METH PROBLEM

Politicians are seldom prone to speechlessness. Yet, Rep. Brian Bilbray and
his colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee fell silent.

The congressional panel had come to San Diego in search of strategies to
stop the rapid-fire spread of methamphetamine as the drug rages its way
across our nation. While the panel members were impressed by our county's
innovative abatement efforts, there was one small issue they didn't expect
to encounter.

Picture an 8-month-old crawling over a plastic bag filled with deadly
"crystal." Or, the explosive chemicals from a crude and toxic meth lab
bubbling next to the bed of a 6-year-old girl. How about a container of
battery acid on a filthy kitchen counter next to a baby bottle? Or, a small
boy playing with toys on a chemical-stained carpet.

The visiting leaders had overlooked the smallest victims of the deadly meth
lifestyle. Like many of us, they had failed to make the tragic connection.
Meth addicts, dealers and cookers are often parents, too, and their
children, who should be growing up in caring homes, are instead unwitting
casualties of their volatile kitchens of death.

The Meth Strike Force estimates that, at any given moment, more than half
of the meth labs in San Diego County are home to our most innocent
residents. In the last two years, the San Diego County District Attorney's
Drug Endangered Childrens (DEC) team has rescued 210 children from
meth-threatened environments, an average of two every week.

This week, the Legislature will discuss funding for DEC programs throughout
the state at a time when the number of drug-related toxic "cleanups" in
California is at an all-time high. If the funding is to reflect the
severity of the problem, the Legislature take a long look at San Diego
County and the many little lives rescued from the deadly meth culture.

Home meth labs and the lethal chemicals they process have been discovered
in East County bathtubs, North County closets and downtown garages, usually
after they catch fire or explode. Because the physical effects of the drug
are just as nasty as the places where it's cooked, meth creates a
double-whammy of danger for the children of users.

Developing bodies and delicate skin are no match for substances like red
phosphorous or hydrochloric acid. Meth-exposed children suffer chemical
burns, respiratory problems and lung and tissue damage. They experience
developmental delay and even brain toxicity. Just living alongside the
chemicals, meth-exposed children sometimes test positive for the deadly
stimulant.

While their young bodies struggle to withstand exposure to the hazardous
chemicals, they are automatic victims of neglect, criminally overlooked by
parents too enslaved by addiction to care for them. Imagine a father so
strung out on crystal that he sleeps for days, and forgets to feed or bathe
his children for a week. Or a mother who keeps her loaded 9-mm handgun
hidden in her children's laundry basket. She uses the weapon to protect the
illegal meth-cooking operation she runs in the family's garage.

We need only to remember little Genny Rojas to put a human face on this
growing problem. In 1995, the 6-year-old Chula Vista girl was scalded to
death by her aunt and uncle who were high on a three-day meth binge. The
aunt and uncle were convicted in her death and await execution on death
row. Genny's death has been called the worst case of child abuse in our
county's history, and methamphetamine played a prominent role in it.

The county's DEC team has since found a way to rescue children like Genny
by removing them from the hell of their parents' illegal activities. With
unprecedented cooperation between law enforcement, prosecution, children's
services and health care, the program monitors the health of the kids,
places them into safe environments and requires that parents undergo
intense treatment if the family is ever to be reunited.

The odds are statistically overwhelming that drug-endangered children will
grow up to perpetuate the lifestyle of their parents. Justice Department
statistics show that neglected or abused children are 50 percent more
likely to be arrested as juveniles, 40 percent more likely to be arrested
for a violent crime as adults and 33 percent more likely to become
substance abusers.

As meth lab seizures now make front-page news in unlikely places like
Kentucky, Oklahoma and Utah, community leaders are struggling to respond to
a situation that San Diego has just begun to conquer. The DEC program has
become one of the most talked-about ways to counter addiction and fight
crime. Our county DEC team has earned its every accolade -- witness the 210
children rescued to date.

The actual number of children still at-risk isn't known since many labs are
abandoned before they're discovered by law enforcement. With nearly 2,000
lab clean-ups in our state last year, there are likely thousands of
children now struggling to survive in toxic homes. Heightened community
awareness will help to seek them out. Increased funding for DEC will help
give them a voice.

Here are the warning signs of a meth environment:

- - Strong chemical odors in the home;

- - Chemical containers stored on property;

- - Extra trash, including plastic tubing and kitty litter bags;

- - Glassware, hot plates, chemical flasks and propane cylinders being taken
into the building;

- - Foot traffic or car traffic, especially at night;

- - Residences with blacked-out windows.

Jacob , a member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, helped
initiate the Methamphetamine Strike Force in 1996. Amador is a deputy
district attorney and member of the San Diego County Drug Endangered
Children's Team. The Meth Strike Force operates an anonymous hotline to
report meth-related crimes or seek help. The number is 1-877-No2Meth.