Occupational Health Hazards to First Responders from Clandestine Methamphetamine Labs

Details

• Personal Author:
  Fitzgerald S ; Kub J ; McFadden D
• Description:
  Methamphetamine is synthesized in clandestine drug labs from common household products and over-the-counter medications. Production methods involve numerous chemical reactions that can cause fire, explosion, and release of toxic gases and waste, thereby making these labs potential hazardous waste sites. First responders (fire fighters, police officers, and Emergency Medical Services personnel) are at risk for numerous health problems when they come in contact with clandestine methamphetamine labs during the course of their jobs, including eye and respiratory irritation, lung damage, burns, and violence perpetrated by methamphetamine producers and users. The objectives of this article are to review current literature on clandestine methamphetamine labs, describe methamphetamine production processes, describe the risks to first responders from the occupational health hazards generated by these labs, and, finally, discuss prevention strategies. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Chemistry Emergency Responders Firefighters Hazardous Substances Law Enforcement Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Substance-Related Disorders
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Methamphetamine Chemical-reactions Clandestine Drug Lab Clan Lab Drug-abuse Drugs Emergency-responders Fire-fighters Illicit Drug Lab Meth Methamphetamine Exposure Methamphetamine Production Occupational-exposure Occupational-hazards Occupational Health Hazard Police-officers Toxic-effects Toxic-vapors

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• ISSN:
  1088-4602
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  169-173
• Volume:
  17
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20037486
• Citation:
  J Addict Nurs 2006 Jan; 17(3):169-173
• Contact Point Address:
  Diane McFadden, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Room W7503A, Baltimore, MD, 21205
• Email:
  dmcfadde@jhsph.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2006
• Performing Organization:
  Johns Hopkins University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Addictions Nursing
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5813de5280c3d427f70851e2b189daa600e856750c65f3ee1d891880cab48e0c3a8c93953ca8d2a91e1621294f63cb5d93093fd9d4146a3ff5ed9c1def494753
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/188578/cdc_188578_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 61.86 KB ]