CHILDREN SUFFER VARIOUS PROBLEMS FROM EXPOSURE TO METH LABS

At a recent meth lab bust in Hardin County, Detective Chris Thompson
was serving a search warrant when a man came out the back door of a
home and tossed ingredients used to make methamphetamine under an air
conditioning unit.

The chemicals were sucked into the ventilation system, sending fumes
into the home.

Inside, directly in front of the air conditioner and absorbing the
potentially deadly chemicals, were two children under 12 years old.

As methamphetamine labs pop up around the country, another trend also
is on the rise. Children are now being exposed to meth and its toxic
chemicals at an alarming rate as parents manufacture the drug in their homes.

In Hardin County, law enforcement officers have discovered around 25
meth labs this year. During the busts, about 15 children, all 12
years old or younger, have been found near the labs, said Thompson,
of the Greater Hardin County Narcotics Task Force.

Last year, 18 meth labs were busted. No children were involved.

"It used to be people did this in secrecy," he said. "They do it
around their family now, their children. It's sad."

More than 100 Kentucky children have been removed from homes
containing meth labs, said Holly Hopper, a health associate with the
University of Kentucky Health Education through Extension Leadership
program. She also serves as the coordinator of the Kentucky Alliance
for Drug Endangered Children.

Children may be aware that something is going on when their parents
are making meth, but they do not know the details or the danger they are in.

"They know, but I don't think they know it's illegal or that it will
hurt them," Thompson said.

Children interviewed by the task force reported that they noticed
funny smells or saw their parents crush pills.

But not being involved doesn't prevent them from being in harm's way.
Once meth is made in a home, the toxic gases created in the process
infiltrate everything in the home, including food.

"Every surface in that house is contaminated," Hopper said.

A survey from the 2004 National Drug Endangered Children Conference
found that of 97 children from 37 different meth labs, 23 percent
tested positive for meth, 33 percent showed developmental delays and
51 percent were determined to have been neglected or abused.

Neglect is one of the most common problems found in homes where meth
labs are present, Hopper said. It also can lead to older children
becoming involved in the "cooking" process.

"Children quickly learn the priority of the parents is the drug," she
said. "They're either going to be required to join in or will join in
because they realize that's the only way to spend quality time with
mom and dad. It's fostering the next generation of drug-using criminals."

Thompson said in his experience about 50 percent of parents arrested
in meth lab busts are concerned with the welfare of the children, but
the other 50 percent are more concerned with themselves.

"At the time, they're more scared they got caught," he said. "Later
on, sure, they get their head on straight, but if they were really
worried about their kids, they wouldn't be cooking it in their house
to begin with."

So far, none of the children removed from homes with meth labs in
Hardin County have been involved with the drug-making process, Thompson said.

But even infants can be unknowing participants. Thompson has heard of
instances where parents will hide stolen meth ingredients in a
child's stroller to smuggle them out of a store.

Of the children found in homes with labs in the task force's region,
there have been some who have contracted liver problems because of
exposure to chemicals used to make meth.

"They're going to have problems down the road," Thompson said.

According to a methamphetamine education program designed by the
Putnam County (Tenn.) Health Department and law enforcement agencies,
children who are exposed to methamphetamine labs can develop various
health problems. One pound of meth creates seven pounds of toxic waste.

Short-term health effects include skin and eye irritation, breathing
problems, headaches, nausea, chemical burns and lack of coordination.

Long-term effects include delayed speech and physical development,
and damage to the liver, lungs, kidney, spleen and brain.

"It just depends on what they absorb," Thompson said.

While there are no statewide or countywide reports on the kinds of
medical problems exposed children are experiencing, Hopper said a
significant amount of anecdotal evidence exists.

Children, teachers and neighbors have reported some effects of the
exposure. Hopper said teachers have reported cases where exposed
children will sleep in class for several days and then for the next
few days be bouncing off the walls.

The issue is also placing stress on the foster care system, Hopper
said. When children are found at a home with a lab, they are taken
from the parents and turned over to social services.

If a parent can overcome an addiction, families can be put back
together as long as the children are in a safe environment, Thompson
said. The problem is that most parents' addictions overpower their
intention to take care of their kids.

The H.E.E.L. program also trains social workers, police, teachers and
emergency responders how to recognize signs that a child has been
exposed to a meth lab, Hopper said.

Thompson hopes eventually to travel to local schools to educate
children about the dangers of methamphetamine and how to detect if
the drug is being manufactured in their home.

"We're going to have to teach them," he said. "We're going to have to
take a defensive approach as well as an offensive approach. The
problem is here."