Detective Sergeant Mark Whittaker of the Darke County Sheriff's Department pointed to a photo of a child riding a tricycle down a driveway.
"The house in this picture contained an extensive meth lab," he said.
According to Whittaker, drug-endangered children are exposed to hazardous chemicals, stored in the same area where they eat and play.
Among the chemicals used to make methamphetamine, phosphine gas, a byproduct of red phosphorus, is the most lethal.
"Imagine a fill a room with white ping-pong balls," Whittaker explained. "Then I add two red ones and those two represent phosphine gas. That's all it takes to kill you."
Another dangerous chemical used in methamphetamine production is hydrogen chloride gas. It causes severe eye and skin burns and can be fatal if inhaled. Additionally, rapid release of compressed hydrogen chloride gas can result in frostbite.
Normal cleaning cannot remove methamphetamine or the chemicals used in its production.
Whittaker pointed out the high risk of explosion and fire in makeshift meth labs due to careless handling and overheating of highly volatile materials. Nationwide, 15 to 20 percent of meth labs are discovered as a result of an explosion or fire. In Darke County, over 50 percent of meth labs are discovered this way.
Incompatible chemicals stored together and highly combustible substances placed near stove tops or other ignition sources contribute to the high rate of accidents as well.
According to Whittaker, children living around meth labs face many other types of dangers. Law enforcement officials typically find these children living in insect or rodent-infested homes without proper heating and cooling and in some cases, no running water or adequate waste disposal system.
Many of the children are in abusive situations, as parents and caregivers who are addicted to meth are violent and irritable.
"Parents who are addicted to meth care about nothing else than getting high," Whittaker said.
Often parents and caregivers lose the capacity to provide essential food, medical care, proper hygiene and appropriate sleeping conditions for the children in their charge.
There is increased risk of physical and sexual abuse by family and others at the site. When an addict "crashes" from a meth high, he or she will fall into a deep sleep for days, leaving children with no supervision or protection from others. Older siblings assume a parental role, even caring for incapacitated parents and adults.
"We know of a case where a kindergartner was taking care of her two year-old brother and a nine week-old baby," Whittaker stated.
According to Whittaker, Tennessee was one of the first states to impose tougher penalties when it was discovered that children at the sites actually test positive for meth. He added that Ohio has now followed suit.
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