WHAT IS METHAMPHETAMINE?
Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant. It is a controlled substance that is manufactured in clandestine laboratories throughout the United States. It is easy to make using common household chemicals. No formal chemistry training is needed. Methamphetamine can be ingested by swallowing, inhaling, injecting or smoking. Methamphetamine is highly addictive. The side effects, which arise from the use and abuse of methamphetamine, include irritability, nervousness, insomnia, nausea, depression, and brain damage. Street names, or slang terms, for methamphetamine are: speed, ice, chalk, meth, crystal, fire or glass.

DANGERS OF METHAMPHETAMINE
The initial side effects of methamphetamine are pleasurable. However, the drug itself can cause mental confusion, severe anxiety, and paranoia. Methamphetamine users are very aggressive and paranoid which often results in violent behavior. There is a direct relationship between methamphetamine abuse and increased incidents of domestic violence and child abuse.

DANGERS OF CLANDESTINE LABORATORIES
In addition to the dangers of methamphetamine abuse, the manufacturing process presents its own hazards. The production of methamphetamine requires the use of hazardous chemicals. Many of these chemicals are corrosive or flammable. The vapors that are created in the chemical reaction attack mucous membranes, skin, eyes and the respiratory tract. Some chemicals react dangerously with water and some can cause fire or explosion.

THE DANGEROUS WASTE OF METHAMPHETAMINE LABORATORIES
Methamphetamine manufacturing results in a great deal of hazardous waste. The manufacture of one pound of methamphetamine results in six pounds of waste. This waste include corrosive liquids, acid vapors, heavy metals, solvents and other harmful materials that can cause disfigurement or death when contact is made with skin or breathed into the lungs. Lab operators almost always dump this waste illegally in ways that severely damage the environment. National parks and other preserved sites have been adversely affected.