U ntil recently, clandestine methamphetamine production was viewed

as a victimless crime. Law enforcement and child protective services personnel typically failed to treat as victims

the children found living at or visiting

illegal methamphetamine laboratory sites.

They rarely interviewed these children as

potential witnesses, evaluated them for

physical or psychological damage, or

ensured that they were placed in proper

and safe environments.1 Now, as more

and more children are found living at

home-based labs, law enforcement, medical, and social services professionals are

showing growing awareness of the enormous physical, developmental, emotional,

and psychosocial damage these children

may incur.2

Children who live at or visit these sites or

are present during drug production face

acute health and safety risks, including

physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and

medical neglect. The manufacture of

Message From

the Director

Children who live at or visit homebased meth labs face acute health and

safety risks, including the hazards of

fires, explosions, abuse, and medical

neglect. Increasingly, child protection

workers find that these children suffer

from physical harm, including burns,

bruises, untreated skin disorders,

bites, and infections.The “meth home”

lifestyle is characterized by chaos,

emotional and physical deprivation,

the presence of firearms, and filthy surroundings. Parents are engaged in criminal behavior and may exhibit paranoia.

Young children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of chemical exposure.

Collaboration among federal, state, and

local agencies is critical to ensure the

adequate care and protection of these

children. Law enforcement agencies at

the state and federal levels and child

protection agencies in every jurisdiction

should establish protocols for their collaboration and for documenting conditions of child endangerment when a

laboratory is seized.Victim service

providers, public health and medical

professionals, law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, child protection workers, and judges must understand the

special needs of meth’s youngest victims.

John W. Gillis

Director

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office for Victims of Crime

Children at Clandestine

Methamphetamine Labs:

Helping Meth’s Youngest

Victims 

by Karen Swetlow

J UNE 2003

methamphetamine may involve hazards

such as fires and explosions. The agerelated behaviors of young children (such

as frequent hand-to-mouth contact and

physical contact with their environment)

increase the likelihood that they will

inhale, absorb, or ingest toxic chemicals,

drugs, or contaminated food. Their physiological characteristics (such as higher

metabolic and respiratory rates and a

developing central nervous system) leave

them particularly vulnerable to the effects

of toxic chemical exposures. Exposure to

drugs and alcohol before birth places

infants at increased risk for neurological

abnormalities and respiratory problems,

which may be compounded by ongoing

environmental exposures.

Personnel involved in laboratory seizures

should include or have ready access to

qualified professionals who can respond to

the immediate and potential health needs

of the children present at these sites.

Actions should include taking children

into protective custody, arranging for
OVC Bulletin

2

units, mobile homes and surrounding

areas, apartments, ranches, houses, campgrounds, rural and urban rental properties

with absentee landlords, abandoned

dumps, restrooms, houseboats, and other

locations. Meth can be produced in as few

as 6 to 8 hours using apparatus and cookware that can be dismantled rapidly and

stored or relocated to avoid detection. 

Illegal meth laboratories can be set up

wherever activities may be hidden from

view, often in locations that are especially

dangerous to children, such as sleeping

areas, eating areas where food is also

stored and prepared, and garages.4 These

makeshift labs and their dangerous components (for example, chemical containers and electrical wiring) have been

discovered in vehicles of all types, hotel

and motel rooms, storage lockers and

toxicologic urinalysis for methamphetamine and other drugs, conducting comprehensive medical and mental health

assessments, and ensuring short- and

long-term care and followup with a

pediatrician.

Meth Production

Site: Not Really a

Laboratory 

S

ites that produce methamphetamine

may be called laboratories, but they

bear little resemblance to legitimate

pharmacologic laboratories.3 The Drug

Enforcement Administration (DEA)

defines a clandestine laboratory as “an

illicit operation consisting of a sufficient

combination of apparatus and chemicals

that either has been or could be used in

the manufacture or synthesis of controlled

substances.” In a methamphetamine laboratory, the “cook” often handles ignitable,

corrosive, reactive, and toxic chemicals

in the presence of an open flame or heat

source. (See What Is Methamphetamine?) Some of these substances are

extremely harmful or lethal when inhaled

or touched; others react violently when

they are heated, immersed in water,

exposed to air, or combined. Although

clandestine labs use a number of manufacturing methods, all produce volatile

chemicals and toxic vapors that present

significant health and safety hazards to

the meth cook, children, and others who

enter the site, including law enforcement

personnel and other members of the

response team. People in the surrounding

community also may be at risk. The longterm effects of exposure to some of these

substances have not been established.

However, many of these chemicals are

known to damage vital body organs or to

cause cancer and other adverse health

conditions.

Methamphetamine, or meth, is the

fastest growing drug threat and the most

prevalent synthetic drug manufactured

in the United States. Refined manufacturing has significantly increased meth’s

strength. Called crank, speed, go fast,

ice, or crystal, methamphetamine can

be injected, snorted, smoked, or ingested orally. Meth is usually a white, odorless, bitter-tasting powder that dissolves

easily in water. Crystal meth is often

clear; it is found in large chunky crystals

that are smoked. Methamphetamine

users initially experience a short, intense rush that is followed by a sense

of euphoria lasting up to 8 hours.

Methamphetamine use increases heart

rate, blood pressure, body temperature,

and rate of breathing. It produces extra

energy and stamina, an increased libido,

a sense of invulnerability, and a decrease in appetite. Chronic, high-dose

methamphetamine abusers may exhibit

increased nervousness, paranoia,

schizophrenia-like symptoms, irritability, confusion, and insomnia. Violent

and erratic behaviors frequently occur

in the last phase of meth bingeing.

Withdrawal from high doses of meth

invariably produces depression, which

varies in severity and duration but may

last for months or even years.

This highly addictive, synthetic central nervous system stimulant is produced using chemicals extracted from

readily available products. These products include over-the-counter cold

medicines and diet pills and household

products like lithium camera batteries,

matches, tincture of iodine, and hydrogen peroxide. Flammable household

products, including charcoal lighter

fluid, gasoline, kerosene, paint thinner,

rubbing alcohol, and mineral spirits,

may be used in the mix. Corrosive

products, such as the muriatic acid

used in pools and spas, sulfuric acid in

battery acid, and sodium hydroxide

from lye-based drain cleaners, also may

be used in the manufacturing process.

In rural areas where anhydrous ammonia is used as a fertilizer, farmers are

increasingly finding their ammonia

tanks have been tapped by “cooks”

using this highly toxic chemical to

produce meth.

What Is Methamphetamine?
3

CHILDREN AT CLANDESTINE METHAMPHETAMINE LABS

Chemical contamination. The chemicals

used to cook meth and the toxic compounds and byproducts resulting from its

manufacture produce toxic fumes, vapors,

and spills. A child living at a meth lab

may inhale or swallow toxic substances or

inhale the secondhand smoke of adults

who are using meth; receive an injection

or an accidental skin prick from discarded

needles or other drug paraphernalia; absorb methamphetamine and other toxic

substances through the skin following

contact with contaminated surfaces,

clothing, or food; or become ill after

directly ingesting chemicals or an intermediate product. Exposure to low levels

of some meth ingredients may produce

headache, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue;

exposure to high levels can produce shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, dizziness, lack of coordination, eye and tissue

irritation, chemical burns (to the skin,

eyes, mouth, and nose), and death. Corrosive substances may cause injury through

inhalation or contact with the skin. Solvents can irritate the skin, mucous membranes, and respiratory tract and affect the

central nervous system. Chronic exposure

to the chemicals typically used in meth

manufacture may cause cancer; damage

the brain, liver, kidney, spleen, and

immunologic system; and result in birth

the table below for methamphetamine

laboratory-related incidents nationwide

from 2000 through 2002.

This table may not show a complete picture of the number of children killed and

injured in clandestine methamphetamine

laboratories. Newspaper and news reports

about meth lab incidents around the

country suggest that the numbers are

much higher than what has been reported. Moreover, the totals for the years

shown represent only the data voluntarily

reported to EPIC by DEA and state and

local law enforcement personnel as of

April 23, 2003.

Dangers to Children

Living at Meth Labs 

A

child living at a clandestine

methamphetamine laboratory is

exposed to immediate dangers and

to the ongoing effects of chemical contamination. In addition, the child may be

subjected to fires and explosions, abuse

and neglect, a hazardous lifestyle (including the presence of firearms), social problems, and other risks.

Number of Children

Number of Meth Residing Exposed Taken Into

Lab-Related in Seized to Toxic Protective Injured

Year Incidents Present Meth Labsa Affectedb Chemicalsc Custody or Killed

2002 15,353 2,077 2,023 3,167 1,373 1,026 26 injured,

2 killed

2001 13,270 2,191 976 2,191 788 778 14 injured

2000 8,971 1,803 216 1,803 345 353 12 injured,

3 killed

a. Children included in this group were not necessarily present at the time of seizure.

b. Includes children who were residing at the labs but not necessarily present at the time of seizure and children who were visiting the site; data for 2000 and

2001 may not show all children affected.

c. Includes children who were residing at the labs but not necessarily present at the time of seizure.

Source: El Paso Intelligence Center.

Children Involved in Methamphetamine Lab-Related Incidents in the United States

Methamphetamine

Trends in the

United States 

Meth production and trafficking

were originally concentrated in

the West and Southwest, particularly in California, Arizona, Utah, and

Texas. Suppliers were outlaw motorcycle

gangs and independent trafficking groups.

Although California produces 85 percent

of the Nation’s methamphetamine, the

expansion of Mexico-based meth traffickers and independent U.S.-based laboratories has increased meth availability and

abuse in the Pacific Northwest, Midwest,

portions of the Southeast (including

Georgia, Tennessee, and the surrounding states), and, more recently, the

Mid-Atlantic states and New England.

Increasingly, local entrepreneurs are producing smaller amounts of meth in less

complex laboratories using homemade

or Internet recipes of dubious origin.5

The El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) is

a collaborative effort of more than 15 federal and state agencies concerned with

tracking drug movement and immigration. EPIC compiled the data shown in
OVC Bulletin

4

defects.6 Normal cleaning will not remove

methamphetamine and some of the

chemicals used to produce it. They may

remain on eating and cooking utensils,

floors, countertops, and absorbent materials. Toxic byproducts of meth manufacturing are often improperly disposed outdoors,

endangering children and others who

live, eat, play, or walk at or near the site.7

Fires and explosions. Approximately 15

percent of meth labs are discovered as a

result of a fire or explosion. Careless handling and overheating of highly volatile

hazardous chemicals and waste and unsafe

manufacturing methods cause solvents

and other materials to burst into flames or

explode. Improperly labeled and incompatible chemicals are often stored together, compounding the likelihood of fire

and explosion. Highly combustible materials left on stovetops, near ignition

sources, or on surfaces accessible to children can be easily ignited by a single

spark or cigarette ember. Hydrogenerators

used in illegal drug production “constitute

bombs waiting to be ignited by a careless

act.”8 Safety equipment is typically nonexistent or inadequate to protect a child.

Abuse and neglect. Children living at

methamphetamine laboratories are at

increased risk for severe neglect and are

more likely to be physically and sexually

abused by members of their own family

and known individuals at the site. Parents

and caregivers who are meth dependent

typically become careless, irritable, and

violent, often losing their capacity to nurture their children. In these situations,

the failure of parents to protect their children’s safety and to provide for essential

food, dental and medical care (including

immunizations, proper hygiene, and

grooming), and appropriate sleeping conditions is the norm. Older siblings in

these homes often assume the role of

caretaker.9 Some addicted parents fall into

a deep sleep for days and cannot be awakened, further increasing the likelihood

that their children will be exposed to

toxic chemicals in their environment and

to abusive acts committed by the other

drug-using individuals who are present.

Children living at meth lab sites may

experience the added trauma of witnessing violence, being forced to participate

in violence, caring for an incapacitated or

injured parent or sibling, or watching the

police arrest and remove a parent.10

Hazardous lifestyle. Hazardous living

conditions and filth are common in meth

lab homes. Explosives and booby traps

(including trip wires, hidden sticks with

nails or spikes, and light switches or electrical appliances wired to explosive

devices) have been found at some meth

lab sites. Loaded guns and other weapons

are usually present and often found in

easy-to-reach locations. Code violations

and substandard housing structures may

also endanger children. They may be

shocked or electrocuted by exposed wires

or as a result of unsafe electrical equipment or practices. Poor ventilation, sometimes the result of windows sealed or

covered with aluminum foil to prevent

telltale odors from escaping, increases the

possibility of combustion and the dangers

of inhaling toxic fumes. Meth homes also

often lack heating, cooling, legally provided electricity, running water, or refrigeration. Living and play areas may be

infested with rodents and insects, including cockroaches, fleas, ticks, and lice.

Individuals responding to some lab sites

have found hazardous waste products and

rotten food on the ground, used needles

and condoms strewn about, and dirty

clothes, dishes, and garbage piled on

floors and countertops. Toilets and bathtubs may be backed up or unusable, sometimes because the cook has dumped

corrosive byproducts into the plumbing.11

(See Children Found in Meth Lab Homes.) 

The inability of meth-dependent and

meth-manufacturing parents to function

as competent caregivers increases the

likelihood that a child will be accidentally injured or will ingest drugs and poisonous substances. Baby bottles may be

stored among toxic chemicals. Hazardous

meth components may be stored in 2-liter

soft drink bottles, fruit juice bottles, and

pitchers in food preparation areas or the

refrigerator. Ashtrays and drug paraphernalia (such as razor blades, syringes, and

pipes) are often found scattered within a

child’s reach, sometimes even in cribs.

Infants are found with meth powder on

their clothes, bare feet, and toys. The

health hazards in meth homes from unhygienic conditions, needle sharing, and

unprotected sexual activity may include

hepatitis A and C, E. coli, syphilis, and

HIV.

Social problems. Children developing

within the chaos, neglect, and violence of

a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory environment experience stress and

trauma that significantly affect their overall safety and health, including their

behavioral, emotional, and cognitive

functioning. They often exhibit low selfesteem, a sense of shame, and poor social

skills.12 Consequences may include emotional and mental health problems, delinquency, teen pregnancy, school

absenteeism and failure, isolation, and

poor peer relations. Without effective

intervention, many will imitate their parents and caretakers when they themselves

become adults, engaging in criminal or

violent behavior, inappropriate conduct,

and alcohol and drug abuse.13

Many children who live in drug homes

exhibit an attachment disorder, which

occurs when parents or caretakers fail to

respond to an infant’s basic needs or do so

unpredictably. These children typically do

not cry or show emotion when separated
5

CHILDREN AT CLANDESTINE METHAMPHETAMINE LABS

from their parents. Symptoms of attachment disorder include the inability to

trust, form relationships, and adapt.

Attachment disorders place children at

greater risk for later criminal behavior

and substance abuse. To minimize longterm damage, children from these environments require mental health

interventions and stable, nurturing

caregivers.

Other risks. Dangerous animals trained

to protect illegal meth labs pose added

physical hazards, and their feces contribute to the filth in areas where children

play, sleep, and eat. Many children who

live in meth homes also are exposed to

pornographic materials or overt sexual

activity. Others may actually be involved

in the manufacturing process but receive

no safety gear to protect them from noxious chemical fumes.

Multidisciplinary

Teams: Elements

of Success 

A

coordinated multidisciplinary

response to children found at clandestine meth lab sites will help

ensure that all the needs of each child are

met and that evidence is gathered to support the management and prosecution of

each case. Personnel who respond to

seizures of illegal drug laboratories and

conduct investigations may be from any

of the law enforcement, social services,

prosecution, environmental health, and

medical disciplines. These personnel usually respond according to their own agency’s

protocols and, in most instances where

multidisciplinary teams have not been

established, operate independently. When

jurisdictions do not coordinate their responses to these complicated scenes, personnel often overlook children’s needs or

assume another agency will address these

needs, fail to remove children from conditions of endangerment, or fail to gather

adequate evidence to substantiate appropriate endangerment and other legal

charges. Coordinated multidisciplinary

investigations enhance information gathering, evidence integrity, interventions, and

comprehensive treatment services for children and their families.

The Methamphetamine Interagency Task

Force, cochaired by the Attorney General

and the Director of the Office of National

Drug Control Policy, gives several recommendations to improve interagency cooperation. The task force suggests that

jurisdictions

■ Increase information sharing and

promote multidisciplinary approaches and partnerships among prevention, education, treatment, and law

enforcement agencies at the federal,

state, and local levels.

■ Expand collaborations among social

services agencies and public health

officials.

■ Conduct research on the hazards to

which children found in meth labs

are exposed.14

Although coordination among child welfare services, law enforcement, medical

services, and other agencies may vary

across jurisdictions, interagency protocols

developed to support drug-endangered

children should generally address

Children Found in Meth Lab Homes

Source: Governor’s Office of Criminal Justice Planning, n.d., Multi-Agency Partnerships: Linking Drugs

with Child Endangerment, Sacramento, CA, p. 9.

The living areas and physical condition of children found in two meth lab homes

are described below.

The five children ranged in age from

1 to 7 years old. The one-bedroom

home had no electricity or heat

other than a gas stove with the oven

door opened. Used hypodermic needles and dog feces littered areas of

the residence where the children

were found playing. Because there

were no beds for the children, they

slept with blankets underneath a

small card table in the front room.

The bathroom had sewage backed

up in the tub, leaving no place for

the children to bathe. A subsequent

hospital exam revealed that all the

children were infected with hepatitis

C. The youngest was very ill. His

liver was enlarged to the size of an

adult’s. The children had needle

marks on their feet, legs, hands, and

arms from accidental contact with

syringes.

At another lab site, a 2-year-old child

was discovered during a lab seizure.

Her parents both abused and manufactured methamphetamine. She

was found with open, seeping sores

around her eyes and on her forehead

that resembled a severe burn. The

condition was diagnosed as repeated,

untreated cockroach bites.
OVC Bulletin

6

■ Staff training, including safety and

cross training. 

■ Roles and responsibilities of intervening agencies. 

■ Appropriate reporting, cross reporting, and information sharing.

■ Confidentiality.

■ Safety procedures for children, families, and responding personnel.

■ Interviewing procedures.

■ Evidence collection and preservation

procedures.

■ Medical care procedures.

■ Community resource development.15

Team Composition 

To adequately meet children’s needs, a

multidisciplinary response team should

include personnel from the following

agencies or disciplines.

Medical and mental health services.

A medical professional who has been

trained in diagnosing and treating children exposed to neglect and abuse, possible chemical hazards, and trauma should

be a member of the multidisciplinary

team. Before any seizure of a meth lab,

operational agreements should be established with appropriate medical professionals to ensure that personnel are

included who can help identify the children who have been harmed, determine

the extent of harm, and provide treatment, support services, and monitoring.

Frequently, public health nurses assigned

to child protective services agencies will

respond to the scene of a meth lab seizure

when children are present. 

Toxicology testing and a physical examination should occur as soon as possible

after a child is found living at or visiting

a methamphetamine production site. A

medical protocol should instruct that

search warrants served at methamphetamine manufacturing sites require the

collection of children’s urine within 12

hours. Medical personnel must document

each child’s physical and mental condition, using photographs as appropriate.

They also must document any relevant

injuries or exposures that occurred before

lab seizure and provide diagnosis and

treatment for drug exposures resulting

from the manufacturing process, ingestion

of drugs and hazardous substances, and

physical injuries and abuse.16 Results of

these medical evaluations and testimony

of the examining physician, toxicologist,

or other specialists may be required in

child endangerment cases.

To address the complex behavioral and

emotional problems experienced by these

children, a psychologist, clinical social

worker, or other mental health professional should participate on the team. Crisis

intervention may be needed when children are removed from their families.

Referrals for therapeutic services are often

necessary for children coping with the

effects of long-term neglect and abuse.

The mental health professional should be

consulted throughout the prosecution of a

case, working closely with child protective services, law enforcement, and prosecutors to consider the emotional state of

the child.

Child protective services. Child protective services (CPS) typically operate

under local county offices of social services, and, when necessary, intervene on

behalf of children at the direction of the

juvenile court. When parents who are

illegally manufacturing or abusing drugs

are suspected of child endangerment,

child welfare workers determine the

course of the child welfare investigation

and share information with law enforcement officers, district attorneys’ offices,

and health care and mental health agencies. Investigations by CPS and/or adult

protective services (who become involved

when vulnerable adults are found at the

scene) may involve law enforcement

assistance when necessary for the safety

of children or other vulnerable family

members. 

The CPS worker participating on a multidisciplinary response team often coordinates medical examinations, including

transportation to and from appointments,

and coordinates communication between

the criminal and dependency and/or family law courts. CPS workers interview

children and parents, take children into

emergency custody, assess the need for

both short- and long-term protective

custody, arrange for timely medical and

mental health evaluations and followup

care, and gather information for the juvenile court. They coordinate these activities with law enforcement to ensure that

child endangerment issues are adequately

evaluated. CPS workers also must provide

records of any relevant current and past

investigations. The responding CPS

worker also may be required to testify in

child endangerment cases.17

Law enforcement. Law enforcement

organizations that may be involved in

both planned and unplanned seizures of

illegal methamphetamine laboratories

include city police departments, county

sheriffs’ departments, state departments

of justice or bureaus of narcotics enforcement, and federal law enforcement agencies.18 Law enforcement personnel at all

levels of jurisdiction who find children

living at illegal drug manufacturing sites

must act to ensure the immediate safety of

the children present, ensure that children

are placed in a safe environment with a

responsible caretaker (not relatives with

similar substance abuse problems, which

commonly occurs), contact CPS at the
7

CHILDREN AT CLANDESTINE METHAMPHETAMINE LABS

local level, and file child endangerment

charges against endangering adults when

appropriate. Close coordination and

communication with CPS can help the

officer carry out these responsibilities. 

To minimize trauma to children and

ensure consistency between the CPS and

criminal investigations, CPS workers and

law enforcement officers should jointly

interview children found living at clandestine meth lab sites and children known to

have been present during meth lab operation. Neighbors and witnesses should also

be interviewed. Officers must document

any present or potential danger, assess

the level of danger and the likelihood of

harm, and assess any intentional aspects

of endangerment. The clothing and other

belongings of children found at meth labs

may be saved as evidence and tested for

chemical contamination.19

State statutes vary with regard to the circumstances that warrant endangerment

charges. To prove child endangerment,

law enforcement officers must use photographs, diagrams, and careful descriptions

to document children’s physical injuries

or access to dangers. Photographs, diagrams, and careful descriptions also are

critical in documenting the proximity of

the methamphetamine laboratory and its

hazards (such as booby traps, weapons,

exposed wiring, chemical contaminants,

waste products, and other unsafe matter)

to the areas where children live, play, and

sleep.20 All materials must be filed in a

timely manner for both the CPS and

criminal proceedings to progress. The testimony of investigating officers and results

from the forensic chemists’ findings will

be required to prove child endangerment.

Their descriptions must be specific to

codified rules of evidence. 

Public safety. Fire department personnel

and hazardous materials professionals,

including toxics control specialists and

cleanup personnel, also play a key role in

documenting conditions of child endangerment, including the potential for fire

or explosion, presence of hazardous materials, improper storage of chemicals, and

poor ventilation. Their training should

address policies, responsibilities, processes,

documentation, and procedures related to

the examination, transportation, immediate treatment, and referrals of drugendangered children living at illegal meth

labs. A specialist in hazardous materials

involved in the investigation should list

all the chemicals found at an illegal drug

manufacturing site to help medical personnel assess the physical condition of

children found there. The reports or testimony of hazardous materials specialists

who respond to the site and other experts

will be required in court.21

Prosecution. Criminal prosecutors are

responsible for filing and supporting

charges of child endangerment, and the

short- and long-term interests of the child

must be an important consideration in

the criminal drug prosecution. By reviewing all the evidence gathered, charging

the drug violations as appropriate, and

filing child endangerment charges against

the appropriate parties, the prosecutor

strengthens the multidisciplinary team’s

efforts to achieve favorable child protection outcomes. Communication between

CPS workers, probation officers, health

care personnel, police officers, and attorneys should continue throughout the

period of prosecution. Communication

between the criminal and dependency

and/or family law courts is crucial to

avoid creating conflicts or jeopardizing

either case outcome. Based on the nature

of the crime and the jurisdiction in which

it occurred, prosecution may take place in

local, state, or federal courts. At the sentencing phase, the court establishes sanctions and activities considered necessary

for rehabilitation. Even if charges of child

endangerment are dismissed, the prosecutor can ask that the court consider conditions relating to the child endangerment

charge in sentencing.22

In cases in which one parent or caregiver

is not charged with endangerment but

lesser charges are levied, the prosecutor

can play an important role in safeguarding the child’s welfare by influencing the

terms of probation. These terms often

include drug treatment, parenting classes,

and other rehabilitative measures such as

parent-child counseling to help the parent change his or her lifestyle and focus

on the child’s welfare. Compliance with

all terms of family reunification care plans

or other dependency/family court orders

also should be included in probation terms. 

Promising Practices

in the Field 

S

ome of the states most affected

by the growth in illegal methamphetamine manufacturing have

successfully implemented coordinated

multidisciplinary programs to help children found living at illegal meth labs.

The following descriptions of programs

in California, Idaho, and Washington

include promising practices that can be

adapted by other jurisdictions around the

country. 

California 

Drug Endangered Children (DEC)

Response Teams are operating in Butte,

Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San

Bernardino, San Diego, and Shasta Counties with grant funding from the Governor’s Office of Criminal Justice Planning.

In addition, DEC teams are operating in

approximately 10 other counties and are

being developed in 5 counties. Detailed
OVC Bulletin

8

protocols are in place for each aspect of

response. Core team members include law

enforcement, CPS, district attorney’s

office, and medical personnel. Auxiliary

team members include mental health,

drug treatment, therapeutic, public

health, and environmental services

professionals. The DEC teams pursue

both narcotics cases that involve charges

of child endangerment and juvenile

dependency cases when children have

been present at or exposed to a meth lab

site. The DEC program has two overall

goals: to break the cycle of child abuse,

neglect, and endangerment caused by

those who manufacture, use, and sell

drugs and to create a collaborative, multidisciplinary response to help children discovered in illegal methamphetamine labs.

California’s DEC teams employ a five-step

process:

■ When a law enforcement member

of the team discovers a child where

drugs and hazardous or other negative conditions are present, and a

parent is arrested, the designated

DEC team member pages the CPS

worker assigned to the team.

■ The CPS worker responds to the

scene within 2 hours and assesses

the child’s physical health, mental

health, and well-being. Along with

law enforcement officers, the CPS

worker then assesses, photographs,

and documents the living conditions

and the child’s condition and interviews the parents and child. In all

cases in which drugs or chemicals

are accessible to a child, the CPS

worker detains the child and determines proper placement according

to the local regulations guiding CPS

action.

■ The CPS worker transports the child

to a prearranged medical site for a

complete medical assessment according to an established DEC medical

protocol. A medical professional

familiar with the DEC protocol

determines the child’s immediate

medical and mental health needs

and arranges for a more comprehensive physical and developmental

examination within 72 hours.

■ The CPS worker manages the case

for a minimum of 18 months to

ensure that the child receives necessary medical, protective, educational,

and therapeutic services and that the

child’s placement is secure.

■ A narcotics deputy district attorney

prosecutes cases that involve children who were endangered by exposure to illegal drug manufacturing

laboratories or illegal drug use or distribution. Allegations of child abuse

and neglect are pursued on a parallel

track. 

Idaho 

Idaho’s Department of Health and

Welfare, Division of Family and Community Services, issued a policy memorandum that provides guidance for situations

involving suspected meth labs and the

health and safety of children present

when meth labs are seized. Family and

community services workers who discover

or suspect they have discovered an illegal

lab are instructed to leave the site and

then coordinate with law enforcement

personnel to assess children’s health and

safety using regional multidisciplinary

team protocols. Law enforcement personnel are instructed to protect children’s

safety and well-being throughout the

seizure process and to decontaminate any

children determined to be in imminent

danger before placing them under the

social worker’s care. The social worker

must follow established safety procedures

while transporting the child to foster care

or to an acceptable caregiver and while

gathering clothing and other items from

the scene. Each child taken into custody

is to receive a physical examination within 48 hours. The physician will receive

written guidelines for medical evaluation

of children and adults exposed to meth

manufacturing.

A number of promising practices have

been implemented in Idaho. For example, Ada County has established a Drug

Endangered Children Program protocol to

be used when a child is present inside or

on the immediate grounds of a meth lab

home. Ada County police who find children at a working meth lab must call

hazardous materials, medical, and CPS

personnel. All children found living

under these conditions are considered to

be in imminent danger. The Ada County

paramedic assesses all children before they

are removed from the scene. Police and

paramedic reports are to include detailed

descriptions of the child’s behavior, body

language, and mental and physical state.

Photographs must document the child,

the laboratory, the lab’s proximity to the

child’s living area, and the child’s general

living conditions. If the paramedic determines that the child has not had an acute

exposure to dangerous chemicals, the

child will receive a change of clothing

and will be placed with the Department

of Health and Welfare to be transported

to foster care. If the paramedic determines

that a child has had an acute exposure to

dangerous chemicals, the child will be

decontaminated at the scene and all

clothing will be bagged and preserved as

evidence. The child will receive medical

treatment within the Department of

Health and Welfare guidelines, and

notice for a shelter care hearing will be

served to the parents or guardian. When

released from the hospital, the child will

be placed in foster care through the
9

CHILDREN AT CLANDESTINE METHAMPHETAMINE LABS

Department of Health and Welfare and

the shelter care hearing will be scheduled.

Law enforcement personnel are instructed

to request the assistance of a victim-witness

coordinator and to file paperwork for prosecution based on whether the child shows

symptoms of exposure to dangerous

chemicals. Detailed instructions are also

provided for handling children who are

visiting the meth lab home and for children found in a nonworking laboratory. 

Washington

Residential meth lab cleanup crews in

Washington report that children were, or

had been, present at approximately 35

percent of the labs they have investigated. The Department of Social and Health

Services is working with the Washington

State Patrol, Department of Health, and

Department of Community, Trade and

Economic Development to develop a

model response protocol. Additional

training for CPS workers is planned.

Efforts are under way to form multiagency

response teams on a regional basis. Meth

action teams are being formed in many

communities. The Governor’s Methamphetamine Workgroup has recommended

a memorandum of understanding (MOU)

that outlines individual agency responsibilities, joint procedures, and an agreement to share information and data.

Recommendations for cross-system collaboration include protocols for health

departments, police agencies, hospitals

and medical providers, substance abuse

treatment providers, environmental health

agencies, and child welfare agencies.

Pierce and Thurston Counties coordinated their approach for responding to

children found in meth labs: the law

enforcement agency handles the drugrelated criminal issues; the health department handles the site cleanup; the CPS

worker transports the children to the hospital or to a medical care provider, where

the children are evaluated and treated;

and all personnel provide information to

the prosecutor, who files the appropriate

charges.

The emphasis in Pierce County is on a

continuum of care. Pierce County has

established a written MOU for CPS, law

enforcement, the prosecuting attorney’s

office, and a children’s hospital and

health center. The MOU specifies the

services to be provided by each agency.

CPS assigns social workers and a CPS

supervisor to each case. Social workers

receive a pager and are available as needed. Law enforcement personnel provide

advance information to CPS when appropriate. Exchange of information proceeds

in a timely manner. The prosecuting

attorney’s office reviews and prosecutes

all appropriate cases in which children

are exposed to hazardous toxic materials

involved in manufacturing methamphetamine. The children’s hospital receives and

treats children exposed to chemicals in

accordance with protocols modeled after

California’s DEC program, including medical assessment, blood and urine testing,

and a respiratory check within 24 hours. 

The Pierce County CPS worker responds

immediately when law enforcement personnel find children living at meth lab

sites. All children found at meth lab sites

are decontaminated and taken into protective custody. The CPS worker uses a

designated state car stocked with toys,

stuffed animals, food, water, formula, and

extra clothes and immediately transports

the children for a full medical assessment.

A local community service group provides

a quilt for each child through its Project

Linus. Following the medical checkup, the

children are placed with appropriate relatives or in foster care. A receiving center/

foster home program has been established

in the region. All foster parents have

received special training and are educated

in issues associated with children found in

meth labs. Of the 67 children removed

from meth labs in Pierce County in 2001,

the majority were not returned home after

the initial placement.

Relevant Legislation

States have enacted legislation that

addresses issues related to children found

at clandestine methamphetamine lab

sites. For example, statutes in Washington

include RCW 26.44.200, which requires

the investigating law enforcement officer

to contact the Department of Social and

Health Services immediately if a child

is found at a meth lab, and RCW

13.34.050, which provides guidelines

related to taking an endangered child into

custody. Idaho’s Child Protective Act

requires the prosecuting attorneys of each

county to develop interagency multidisciplinary teams to investigate child abuse

and neglect referrals within each county.

California’s Drug Endangered Child

Protection Act includes sections on creating a pilot program, coordinating multiagency response teams, preparing an

annual report containing data on the

number of children found in and removed

from clandestine labs, and distributing

funds. These funds are provided based

in part on the number of prosecutions

brought against clandestine labs where

children are found, the number of children found at seized or prosecuted clandestine labs, and the demonstrated ability

to use multiagency emergency response

teams to meet the immediate health and

safety needs of children found at clandestine labs and to prosecute the individuals

operating those labs. California drug laws

also specifically address the possession of

precursor chemicals with intent to manufacture methamphetamine and provide

for enhanced penalties when these chemicals are found in a structure where a

child younger than age 16 is present. The

penal code also requires people who are

convicted of abusing a child or endanger-
OVC Bulletin

10

ing a child’s health while under the influence of drugs to abstain from drug use

during probation and to submit to random drug testing. 

Conclusion

C hildren who are living or present at

clandestine methamphetamine laboratory sites require immediate

attention and care. Interagency protocols

should be established in every jurisdiction

where clandestine meth labs are found.

The teams involved in seizing clandestine

methamphetamine laboratories should

include, or should have immediate access

to, qualified personnel who can respond

immediately to the potential health needs

of any children who are present or living

at the site. Actions should include taking

children into protective custody and

arranging for child protective services,

immediately testing them for methamphetamine exposure, conducting medical

and mental health assessments, and

ensuring short- and long-term care and

followup. A coordinated multidisciplinary

team approach is critical to ensure that

the needs of meth’s youngest victims are

met and that adequate information is

available to prosecute child endangerment cases successfully.

For More Information 

F

or information on establishing a

multidisciplinary meth lab response

team, contact

California

Sue Webber-Brown

Investigator

Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force 

Butte County District Attorney’s Office

530–538–2261

E-mail: swebber-brown@buttecounty.net

Wendy Wright, M.D.

San Diego Children’s Hospital and

Health Center

858–576–5841

E-mail: wwright@chsd.org

For funding-related questions, contact 

Governor’s Office of Criminal Justice 

Planning

Children’s Branch 

916–323–7449

Web site: www.ocjp.ca.gov

Idaho

Monte Stiles

Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District 

of Idaho, Boise 

208–334–9118

E-mail: monte.stiles@usdoj.gov

Dave Kane

Captain

Idaho State Police, Investigations 

208–799–5151

E-mail: dave.kane@isp.state.id.us

Washington

Roger Lake 

President

Washington State Narcotics Investigators 

Association 

360–867–0523

E-mail: wsnia@earthlink.com

Liz Wilhelm

Washington State Alcohol Drug 

Clearinghouse 

206–725–9696

Web site: http://clearinghouse.adhl.org

Information is also available at

http://www.mfiles.org.

National Organizations

Office for Victims of Crime

U.S. Department of Justice 

810 Seventh Street NW., Eighth Floor

Washington, DC 20531

202–307–5983

Fax: 202–514–6383

Web site: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc

For copies of this bulletin, other OVC

publications, or information on additional

victim-related resources, please contact

OVC Resource Center

P.O. Box 6000

Rockville, MD 20849–6000

1–800–627–6872 or 301–519–5500

(TTY 1–877–712–9279)

E-mail: askovc@ojp.usdoj.gov

Web site: www.ncjrs.org

Or order OVC publications online at

http://puborder.ncjrs.org.

For information on training and technical

assistance available from OVC, contact

OVC Training and Technical 

Assistance Center

10530 Rosehaven Street, Suite 400

Fairfax, VA 22030

1–866–OVC–TTAC (1–800–682–8822)

(TTY 1–866–682–8880)

Fax: 703–279–4673

E-mail: TTAC@ovcttac.org

Web site: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/assist/

welcome.html

For information and other relevant Web

sites on drug trends and dangers, contact

American Council for Drug Education

www.acde.org

For information on training, technical

support, legislative assistance, and expert

testimony provided for prosecutors, law

enforcement, and emergency services

personnel, contact 

Clandestine Laboratory Investigators 

Association

www.clialabs.com
11

CHILDREN AT CLANDESTINE METHAMPHETAMINE LABS

For information on relevant government

publications, groups, programs, and Web

sites, contact

National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and

Drug Information

www.health.org

For drug facts, program information, and

links to relevant articles and Web sites,

contact

Office of National Drug Control Policy 

Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse

www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov

For a wealth of meth-related information

and links, contact

KCI The Web Site

www.kci.org

Notes 

1. Susan Webber-Brown, as quoted in

Mills, 1999. 

2. Governor’s Office of Criminal Justice

Planning (OCJP), n.d.

3. Governor’s OCJP, n.d.

4. Governor’s OCJP, n.d. 

5. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, 2002.

6. Bureau of Environmental Health and

Safety, Division of Health, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, 1999.

7. Governor’s OCJP, n.d.

8. Governor’s OCJP, n.d.

9. Mills, 1999. 

10. Oishi, West, and Stuntz, 2000.

11. Oishi, West, and Stuntz, 2000; Drug

Endangered Children Resource Center,

2000.

12. Governor’s OCJP, n.d.

13. Oishi, West, and Stuntz, 2000.

14. Methamphetamine Interagency Task

Force, 2000.

15. Governor’s OCJP, n.d.

16. Governor’s OCJP, n.d.

17. Governor’s OCJP, n.d.

18. Governor’s OCJP, n.d.

19. Governor’s OCJP, n.d.

20. Drug Endangered Children Resource

Center, 2000. 

21. Governor’s OCJP, n.d.

22. Governor’s OCJP, n.d.

Bibliography 

Bureau of Environmental Health and

Safety, Division of Health. August 1999.

Illegal Methamphetamine Labs Fact Sheet.

Boise, ID: Idaho Department of Health

and Welfare.

Drug Endangered Children Resource

Center. 1999. Medical Protocols for Children Found at Methamphetamine Lab Sites.

Los Angeles, CA.

Drug Endangered Children Resource

Center, Riverside County Sheriff’s

Department, Special Investigations

Bureau–West. February 2000. Law

Enforcement Protocol, Drug Endangered

Children Program. Los Angeles, CA: Drug

Endangered Children Resource Center.

Governor’s Office of Criminal Justice

Planning (OCJP). n.d. Multi-Agency Partnerships: Linking Drugs with Child Endangerment. Sacramento, CA.

Methamphetamine Interagency Task

Force, Federal Advisory Committee.

January 2000. Methamphetamine Interagency Task Force: Final Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.

Methamphetamine Workgroup. May

2000. Governor’s Council on Substance

Abuse Report: Methamphetamine Abuse in

Washington State. Seattle, WA: Governor’s Council on Substance Abuse.

Mills, Kimberly, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Editorial Board. December 16, 1999. California Protects the Children of Meth Addicts.

Available online at http://SeattleP-I.com.

Oishi, Sabine M., Kathleen M. West, and

Shelby Stuntz. May 2000. Drug Endangered Children Health and Safety Manual,

ed. Kathleen M. West. Los Angeles, CA:

Drug Endangered Children Resource

Center.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

April 2002. The Forms of Methamphetamine. Drug Intelligence Brief. U.S.

Department of Justice. Available online

at http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/intel/

02016/index.html.
U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office for Victims of Crime

Preparation of this document was supported by the Office for Victims of Crime,

Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed

in this document are those of the author

and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Office for Victims of Crime is a component of the Office of Justice Programs,

which also includes the Bureau of Justice

Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics,

the National Institute of Justice, and the

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention.

*NCJ~197590*

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office for Victims of Crime

Acknowledgments

OVC would like to thank the author, Karen Swetlow, Senior Writer-Editor

with Aspen Systems Corporation. OVC would also like to thank the following

individuals for reviewing the content of this bulletin: Roger Lake, President,

Washington State Narcotics Investigators Association; Monte Stiles, Assistant

U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho, Boise; Sue Webber-Brown, Investigator,

Butte County District Attorney’s Office, Butte Interagency Narcotics Task

Force; and Kathleen M. West, Dr.P.H., Former Director, Drug Endangered

Children Resource Center and Clearinghouse. OVC appreciates the input of

many experts in the field who contributed to this document.

NCJ 197590