METH FUMES DRAW ATTORNEY'S ATTENTION

Could fumes from defendants using methamphetamine be making public defenders
ill? Public Defender David Brady, who serves the seven-county 13th Judicial
District, thinks so.

Two public defenders who work in the Cumberland County Courthouse and
Justice Center have reported feeling sick, apparently from meth fumes
brought in from clients they defend. Brady said, "I have given them
instructions that if they feel the symptoms again they are to go to the
hospital to be checked out."

Brady said two public defenders assigned to cases in Cumberland County began
experiencing symptoms, including burning eyes, nose, mouth and skin, and
nausea, headaches, disorientation and inability to concentrate, about a
month ago. The situation was brought to Brady's attention last week, and he
sent a letter to judges in Cumberland County saying he had instructed the
public defenders to leave the courtroom when they feel sick or intoxicated.
Monday was the first court date in Cumberland County since those
instructions were given.

"They did not leave the building, but one did go to another area of the
building to work," Brady said.

Brady said he had consulted with a pharmacologist in Cookeville who provided
him with information from the University of Tennessee which says
methamphetamine can be secreted in the sweat and saliva of meth users.

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

Brady has been in contact with Cumberland County officials, who are looking
into the problem.

Keith Garrison, director of Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency,
said, "We're trying to find out what we need to do and our goal is to fix
the problem as quickly as possible."

Garrison said the issue was an air quality issue and that the symptoms may
not be attributable to meth fumes.

"We're trying to figure out what it is," Garrison said.

Garrison said 11 people have reported a variety of symptoms to him.
Interviews with those individuals have been conducted.

Environmental Consulting and Testing of Knoxville will be conducting air
quality tests at the courthouse tomorrow.

In the meantime, the judges are aware of the air quality situation. The
public defenders will excuse themselves if they feel ill, and others are
encouraged to also excuse themselves and get fresh air until they feel
better.