THINK YOU SEE A METH LAB? BEST ADVICE IS 'DON'T TOUCH'

If you think there's a meth lab near your home, don't touch it:
moving any of the components in a meth lab could activate toxic gases
that can maim or kill.

Instead, call police and be prepared to describe any telltale sights
or smells to help them respond safely.

"Meth labs are very, very dangerous," said La Salle County Sheriff
Tom Templeton. "They generate fumes that can be explosive in nature.
Even the slightest ignition can cause a house to explode, and we've
seen that happen in this county."

Templeton emphasized that people who find a suspect lab should leave
it to police to determine whether it is, in fact, an active or
abandoned meth lab. They, in turn, would contact a specially trained
and equipped unit to dismantle and remove the lab.

Meth labs can be found anywhere, Templeton said, though addicts often
produce meth in farm fields, wooded areas and other places where
detection is less likely.

Master Sgt. Bruce Liebe, methamphetamine program coordinator for
Illinois State Police in Springfield, pointed out that
methamphetamine is often produced from legal consumer products
obtained over the counter, such as cold medication, coffee filters,
starter fluid, camping fuel, salt and new batteries. The thing to
watch, Liebe said, is the quantities of these legitimate products.

If someone has 10 boxes of cold medication containing
pseudoephedrine, it likely means they're fighting a bad meth
addiction, not a bad cold.

"The tricky part of meth investigations is that meth is made with
legitimate consumer products, with the exception of anhydrous which
is available only to a limited part of the public," Liebe said.

If an addict is manufacturing red phosphate meth, people should watch
for matchbooks, a source of phosphorous.

If the addict is using anhydrous ammonia, look for propane tanks,
portable coolers and spent fire extinguishers, as these are often
used to store and carry anhydrous stolen from farm supply outfits.