AND WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?

This is the third in a series of articles that will show how illegal
methamphetamine production and use will affect the people of Johnson
County.

According to statistics that are running far behind current
situations, close to 30 percent of national child protection cases
involve children taken from homes that are being used as meth labs.

Sheriff Roger Gentry confirms this fact.

"Actually, the rate here in Johnson County is a little higher, I guess
closer to 50 percent.

"Children across the county are being put at risk every day by these
meth labs. The parents either aren't aware of the danger they are
putting these kids in, or they just don't care."

Chemical burns and exposure to harmful chemicals are just a sample of
the dangers to children who live in a meth lab environment.

The Internet is full of information on meth labs, and about dangers to
children who live in a house where meth is being produced. Authorities
have found babies crawling on carpets where toxic chemicals used to
make methamphetamine have spilled. They have seen children cooking
their own meals in the same microwave ovens that their parents used to
produce methamphetamine. In addition, they have discovered chemicals
used in methamphetamine production stored in open or improperly sealed
containers in areas where children played. These chemicals emit
hazardous fumes toxic enough to burn lungs; damage the brain, kidneys,
and liver; or even kill these children.

In one published report, an incident was detailed wherein two boys
received second-degree chemical burns on their arms when they fell off
their bikes onto a patch of dirt in their backyard. Police officers
discovered that their parents had dumped leftover waste from their
methamphetamine production in the yard.

Children can absorb the deadly ingredients used to manufacture meth by
walking barefoot across the floor of a contaminated lab. A child might
pick up a soda bottle used in making the drug and spill hydrochloric
acid. When lab operators cook, children inhale the methamphetamine
fumes.

Sheriff Gentry says, "When we find a meth lab where there are
children, the first priority is medical treatment. If they have been
in the home while the lab was cooking, we remove them immediately and
take them to the emergency room for decontamination and evaluation. If
they are somewhere else but have been in the home when the lab was
operating, the same procedures are followed."

When trying to get information about protocol for decontamination from
the hospital, this reporter's call went unreturned.

When trying to obtain information from Child Protective Services about
protocol for follow-up on the children of meth labs, this reporter was
first referred to the DCS (Department of Children's Services) in
Johnson City. From there, the referral was to the public relation
officer in Nashville. A request (for a return call) for information
has gone unanswered as of press time.

Meth Kids Facts: Typical symptoms in lab-kids:
. Chronic cough

. Skin rashes

. Red, itchy eyes

Overall Concerns

. Harm to children exposed before birth

. Neglect and endangerment of children living with
users

. Chemical exposures in homes where a drug is made

. Treatment and disposition of children removed from
labs

. Children living in former lab sites that have not been properly
cleaned

Among 360 babies of pregnant users: . some did not survive due to
pre-birth stroke and brain hemorrhage

. observed: high dose caused rapid temp.; rapid rise of blood pressure
in brain

. observed: higher than normal number of preemies; low birth-weight
and slow-growth babies; difficulty sucking/swallowing;
hypersensitivity to touch

. in older children: limited expressive language, small but
significant deficits in IQ in the language ability areas

. little long-term on effects to organs, respiratory system,
neurological damage

In Mesa Co., AZ, children studied: . 50% had learning
disabilities

. 90% were reliant on inhalers

. Most malnourished

. Most have erratic sleeping habits

From 1980 to 1990 Des Moines, IA, saw a change from 80% crack to 80%
meth-affected babies.