(This is Part II of last week’s
column on the Methamphetamine workshop presented to the Board of Supervisors)
Patty Leal has been a Public Health Nurse since 1980. As a home
visitor, she has seen the effects of generational poverty and drug use. According Patty,
the parenting relationship present in the home is reflective of that of the prior
generation. In other words, how Grandma parented is how Mom will parent. If Grandma was a
substance abuser, those impaired parenting skills will be the model Mom has for parenting.
Infants give a variety of “cues” as to their needs. Most
parents miss about 2/3 of the signals. So a baby may cue six times that he is hungry
before Mom catches on. A meth Mom can miss 9/10ths of all the cues. She may get
the message that the child is hungry only after he is screaming at the top of its lungs.
Also, a baby feels secure after a consistent experience of Mom leaving and always coming
back to take care of his needs. A meth Mom is inconsistent and unpredictable, so the child
lacks that inner security. The result can be that a baby of a meth home may develop rage,
fear, aggression, inability to empathize and form relationships (“attachment disorder”)
and a lack of conscience.
The plan of action used with meth homes is to get the adults into
treatment, then recovery and support. Public Health works with these clients to reinforce
their strengths and to develop trust. The public health nurse models for the parents what
she wants them to do using the PIPE (Partners in Parenting Education) interactive
curriculum and coaches them in parenting on a weekly basis. Families are referred to the
local Family or Community Resource Center (FRC/CRC) for help in connecting with other
programs available to them, such as the family based relapse prevention program started at
the Yreka CRC.
Terry Barber from the Department of Environmental Health (Public
Health) talked about the toxic waste from meth labs. These labs can be located in rented
moving vans, barns, car trunks, on public lands or the house next door. A “Super Lab”
can produce 10 pounds of meth in a 24 hour “cook.” (Most of these are in Mexico.)
A mom and pop operation can produce 1-6 oz. per cook. A quarter gram is the equivalent of
three “lines,” a minimum use. (A gram is about the size of a packet of Sweet and
Low.) A pound of pure meth can go from $13-$15,000.
The ingredients include ephedrine, muratic acid, red phosphorous,
lithium (old batteries,) dry ice, ammonia and acetone. By-products in the process, such as
hydraulic acid, can dissolve flesh in seconds. Red phosphorous can spontaneously ignite
and produce deadly phosphene gas. First responders are particularly in high risk of
encountering hazardous waste, explosions, booby traps and armed occupants.
For every one pound of meth produced, there are 6 pounds of hazardous
waste. These can be dumped in our fields and rivers. In 2004, there were 17,000 labs
seized. The chemicals can permeate the porous surfaces of a house including carpet,
drapes, furniture and walls, making the place inhabitable. Taxpayers spend about $5.5
million a year in cleanup expenses.
A.B. 1078 - the Meth Lab Cleanup Act, established occupancy standards
for owners of property where a meth lab has been found. First the Health Officer will
inspect the dwelling and post a hazard notice within five days. Within 10 days, a lien
will be filed on the property against recovery of costs. The owner will be required to
hire an industrial hygienist to plan cleanup and to certify that it has been done. The
owner is given 30 days to create the plan and 30 days to get the plan to Public Health.
Then the owner is required to cleanup the property at his own expense.
If you see canisters and suspicious items dumped, don't touch them.
Call 911 and report them. |
