Meth Labs Pose Danger To Kids

By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Tulsa Police say children are found in 40% of all the meth labs they bust.  The most innocent victims of the drug trade are breathing in and even drinking the caustic chemicals.  Children face many dangers when they are living among meth labs.

A public service announcement illustrates the dangers of cooking meth around children.  Not only are they exposed to poisonous chemicals, but they live in unsafe environments where fires and explosions are common.

Just last week, four children were found living near meth after a lab exploded and caught fire at the Comanche Park Apartments.  The fire killed one man.

"Short of the pseudoephedrine, everything used in the manufacturing process is either poisonous or fatal to the human body," said Tulsa Police Sgt. Mike Parsons.

The children who survive often end up with terrible burns or other injuries.  Children have higher respiration and heart rates and since they are lower to the ground and many of the chemicals are heavier than air.

"Are breathing concentrated amounts of it leading to learning disabilities, growth issues, attention issues. The long term effects of it are unknown," said Tulsa Police Sgt. Mike Parsons.

Tulsa Police say 68% of the children taken from labs tested positive for meth or the chemicals used to make it.  They say that's why it's so critical to make sure the focus remains on getting children out of the dangerous and deadly environments.

"We need to rescue those kids from those environments. Having kids myself, it's real personal," said Tulsa Police Sgt. Mike Parsons.