Identifying Methamphetamine Labs

Methamphetamine labs create health hazards for both rural and urban areas. Many producers prefer remote locations but not all. While many urban labs are setup for long term production, an increasing number are created as temporary facilities in places such as hotel rooms, rental trucks and campers. Other possible locations include houses, apartments, mobile homes, warehouses, motor vehicles, outdoor fields and wooded areas.

• Strong odor of chemicals in the area
• Complaints from neighbors about strange smells coming from the property
• Heavy fortification, such as bars on the windows
• Suspicious automobile traffic and visitors to the site
• Unusual hours of activity
• Chemical cans or drums in the yard
• People leaving the building to smoke

• Open windows in cold weather."

For each pound of finished product, these labs typically have five to six pounds of hazardous waste left over which is most always disposed of inappropriately. Sometimes it's buried or taken to remote locations. Sometimes it's just flushed down the toilet. These waste can sterilize soil and poison local water tables. Dumping it down the drain can contaminate municipal sewage systems reacting with chemicals used in treatment plants. 

If you suspect someone is operating a methamphetamine lab in your neighborhood, or have found a possible disposal site for methamphetamine lab leftovers, do not go near it - call the police. Once the lab is shut down or leftovers are found, the officer in charge should notify appropriate government agencies including the WV DEP at  (304) 296-0465.