How to Spot a Meth Lab

By eHow Health Editor

Instructions

Step 1:
Notice whether the building has blacked out windows. The occupants don't want anyone looking in and will go to great lengths to keep their activities private. There may also be an unusual amount of security such, as bars on the windows, that seems out of place for the area.
Step 2:
Observe whether there are a large amount of people coming and going without staying long. This usually happens later in the evening and into the night. Meth labs have been uncovered in all types of neighborhoods, but most often they are in secluded, rural areas.
Step 3:
Smell the air near the suspected meth lab. A smell of very strong cat urine or rotten eggs is the description some have given for the odor of meth cooking and the chemicals used in the process.
Step 4:
Take into account the kind of and the amount of garbage around the building. There's a lot of waste associated with a meth lab and usually the occupant burns it frequently. Some of the trash items are empty containers of drain cleaner, kitty litter bags, peroxide bottles, cold medicine packaging, iodine and plastic tubing. Look for large quantities of these items, which would be unusual for a normal household.
Step 5:
Think about the unusual items which most people don't have in abundance, such as propane cylinders and fire extinguishers, which have been altered to store anhydrous ammonia. A lot of glass jars, hot plates or electric skillets, chemistry flasks and other types of lab equipment are found in a meth lab or in their trash pile.
Step 6:
Get to know who lives in your area. Be observant and vigilant. There are other illegal activities usually associated with this type of crime, and you need to be able to spot one of these labs if it's set up in your neighborhood. Meth labs are very dangerous and have been the cause of death and destruction of property due to the volatile nature of the ingredients used.

Tips & Warnings

If you spot a meth lab, do not intervene. Notify law enforcement and let them handle the situation.

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