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 A cleanup crew removes meth-making equipment from a Toronto home following a polic raid. (photo: Greg Henkenhaf, QMI Agency) |
Final of a 3-part series
Is there a meth lab in your neighbourhood?
If so, you should be concerned.
Methamphetamine trafficking and production is dangerous, not only to the user but to the people and homes around the area. The reckless practices of clandestine meth lab operators can result in explosions or fires that can injure or kill the lab operator and neighbours, police officers and firefighters who come in contact with a lab.
Meth manufacturing involves many common household chemicals that, alone and in combination, are potentially toxic, or even lethal. When mixed, the chemicals used to make meth can damage the central nervous system, liver and kidneys, and burn and irritate the skin, eyes, nose and throat.
Chemicals and fumes that permeate the walls, carpets, plaster and wood of meth labs and the surrounding soil are known to cause cancer, short-term and permanent brain damage, and immune and respiratory system problems.
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And if the labs themselves weren’t dangerous enough, violence between drug dealers can add to the overall threat to any neighbourhood or community.
Many meth makers have common habits that are easily observed. A combination of the following may be grounds for concern:
• Frequent visitors at all times of the day or night
• Activity at the house at odd hours or late at night
• Occupants who are unfriendly and seem secretive about their activities
• Occupants who appear unemployed yet seem to have plenty of money and pay bills in cash
• Occupants who display paranoid or odd behaviour
• Extensive security at the home, like signs that say “Private Property” or “Beware of Dog,” fences, large shrubs, bushes and trees
• Windows blackened or curtains always drawn
• Occupants going outside the house to smoke
• Chemical odours coming from the house, garbage or detached buildings
• Garbage containing numerous containers and bottles with labels removed, covered or painted over
• Garbage is set out for pickup with a neighbour’s trash
• Evidence of chemical or waste dumping, such as burn pits or dead spots in the yard.
If you see any combination of the above, call the police. Do not confront your neighbours with your suspicions or enter a suspected lab.
A 2009 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime revealed that Canada is the largest supplier of ecstasy – a form of meth – to the U.S. Meanwhile, Japan says Canada is the single biggest source of seized ecstasy tablets.
Given these statistics, the chances of a meth lab being in or near your neighbourhood may be greater than you think.
Read part 1 and part 2 in the series.
Rob Parker is a registered home inspector with the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors and a certified home inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors.