Making meth is like spilling radioactive waste
Obviously drugs -- even the legal ones -- aren't very good for you, and most will get you arrested (or worse), but rumor has it that some people still take them anyway. So, with that in mind, the least you can do is work towards a more sustainable habit. To see all the substances we've covered in this series, see our Guide to Green Green Drug Use.
Several years ago I met a meth addict who also cooked his own. The basic ingredients for meth include ephedrine, anhydrous ammonia (A common, though toxic, fertilizer), red phosphorous, battery acid, camp stove fuel, alcohol, white gasoline...
The list is long. But the tattooed man in an orange jumpsuit told me once he had it all, he would make the drug in his pick-up truck with the rear cab window open. He would drive across farm fields slowly so his soda bottle of poison didn't spill, but fast enough that the fumes would drift out the window.
Making meth can be deadly for the cook. But for the environment the ingredients are even worse.
Several years ago I met a meth addict who also cooked his own. The basic ingredients for meth include ephedrine, anhydrous ammonia (A common, though toxic, fertilizer), red phosphorous, battery acid, camp stove fuel, alcohol, white gasoline... The list is long. But the tattooed man in an orange jumpsuit told me once he had it all, he would make the drug in his pick-up truck with the rear cab window open. He would drive across farm fields slowly so his soda bottle of poison didn't spill, but fast enough that the fumes would drift out the window.
Making meth can be deadly for the cook. But for the environment the ingredients are even worse.
The White House tells us one lbs of meth can result in five lbs of toxic waste. Cleanup is expensive, and police and fire squads are taught how to don Haz Mat garb, get out the special clean-up trailer and do what they can. Most meth lab sites--be they garages, homes or fields-- are considered uninhabitable. Tons of soil need to be removed because the residue is so toxic ground water, plants and animals are threatened in its presence.
In an article in the Sierra Club's magazine one official says several 150-year old ponderosa pines were killed by the fumes of meth. Frequently, meth cooks dispose of their lab equipment of leftover batteries and gasoline by throwing them in the woods. Those toxic ingredients leach into the soil and surface water. That can lead to mass fish kills and livestock deaths.
Happy mething.
In an article in the Sierra Club's magazine one official says several 150-year old ponderosa pines were killed by the fumes of meth. Frequently, meth cooks dispose of their lab equipment of leftover batteries and gasoline by throwing them in the woods. Those toxic ingredients leach into the soil and surface water. That can lead to mass fish kills and livestock deaths.
Happy mething.
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