Meth in Hotels
DENVER (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Have you ever been exposed to methamphetamine? If you don't use the drug, you probably think you're in the clear. However, meth labs aren't just confined to houses anymore. A dangerous new trend is leaving behind a toxic mess for unsuspecting travelers.
Meth is a dangerous drug, but you don't have to be a user to be affected by it.
"Probably people have gotten into meth labs and haven't really known it," John W. Martyny, Ph.D., C.I.H., an associate professor at National Jewish Health in
Denver, Colo., told Ivanhoe.
It's a scary trend. Meth labs are popping up in motel rooms across the country. Residues from a cook can linger for years.
"During the process of manufacture, it becomes aerosolized into the air and really coats all surfaces of the room," Martyny told Ivanhoe.
"Methamphetamine is rapidly absorbed throughout the skin as well as ingested in and inhaled," Martyny explained.
One of the biggest concerns is kids.
"These little toddlers that are close to the ground end up with really, really heavy exposures, and at the same time, they have less body mass, and so every little bit affects them more than it does you," Martyny said.
Experts say if your motel room neighbor is making too much noise in the middle of the night, be wary about knocking on their door. Weapons are almost always found during meth lab busts.
The cost of testing and decontaminating a single hotel room can run anywhere from $2,000 to $20,000.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
John Martyny, Ph.D.
National Jewish Health
Denver, CO
martynyj@njhealth.org
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