Meth Labs : A Guide

Meth Labs: What to do?

The latest report of Australian Crime Commissions shows that in 2009/10 Queensland Police discovered more than 40% of the 694 meth labs located in Australia. John Lawler, chief executive of Australian Crime Commission said, “It is sad, our report shows that more than 71 per cent of these labs are detected in residential areas where innocent neighbours risk exposure to toxic chemicals.”   How do you detect a meth lab?

Outward signs of a meth lab

•     Chemical odours like paint thinners and nail polish remover coming from the building
•     Fans (exhaust) running for a long period and strangely at odd times.
•     Frequent visitors to the lab at odd hours.
•     Curtains always drawn or Windows blackened out.
•     When you see people coming outside only to smoke.
•     Occupants being unfriendly, appear to be secretive about their activities, behaving paranoid.
•     Property being monitored with security and surveillance equipment.
•     Neighbors, Landlords, other visitors denied access.
•     Trash bins containing a huge amount of cold & flu packaging, chemical type containers, bottles and boxes with labels removed.

 On the inside, once you know these things

•     Lab containers, beakers, equipment and documents.
•     Clear liquid solutions with chalky substance settling at its bottom.
•     Containers having two layered liquids, one dark colored liquid and the other a clear or pale yellow layer.
•     Coffee filters containing a white paste or a reddish brown substance
•     Dishes containing white crystalline powder or substance.
•     Hot plates kept near chemicals.
•     Odors of chemicals emitted from rooms.
•     Stain on walls, usually they are yellow or brown in color.

What to do on discovering a Meth Lab?

•     Do not go to explore the area. Exposure to meth can cause severe health complications
•     Do not try to touch, taste or smell anything at a meth lab.
•     Avoid smoking in or near a suspected meth lab.
•     Friction or Sparks producing items should be avoided at all cost eg. radios, cell-phones, torches etc.
•     Immediately call the local Police.
•     Do not re-enter the premises.

Meth Labs exposure can cause the following:

•     Constant headaches.
•     Eyes become watery
•     Nausea.
•     Burning sensation on the skin.
•     Difficulty in breathing, coughing.
•     Pain in chest.
•     Feeling of coldness or weakness.
•     Dizziness.

If at all you encounter a meth lab or you need to cleanup a Meth lab Contact Bio Cleanse Pty Ltd, visit: http://bio-cleanse.com.au/methamphetamine/ for more details.

Crime scene cleanup business - Not for everybody!

There are many reasons why some individuals shouldn't be in the crime scene cleaning business and why you require extremely tough skin to be a crime scene cleaner. Not only do you have to deal with the dead, and gore but also the family of the deceased.

I had a family stand outside a residence and they actually wanted to see what I was placing in the incineration boxes. They really needed to filter through the case of bio-danger waste to verify we didn't hurl anything. It is simply fantastic the way families can act when their dear ones passes away. Individuals stand outside of shocking crime scenes and battle over who gets what and stuff that truly don't make a difference, for example lamps. 

We generally sit down for a bit to bag important and personnel things for the family like money, jewelry or documents. There is an emotional switch you need to turn on and off particularly when this happens. I frequently think about the victimized people and their families throughout and after the clean-up. At the same time at the close of the day it is an amazing feeling to realize that I helped begin their mending process. That is the reason I press on to clean up crime scenes and that is the reason I feel it is rewarding.

Hoarding Victim?

Imagine you go meet a new friend that you made recently and you thought of him living in a beautiful house with a nice inviting & pleasing ambience.

But as soon you open the front door, instead of welcoming arms you find rats and cockroaches crawling all over your feet.

If that’s not enough then still you try to sniff for that refreshing, ‘feel good’ aroma that you were expecting but to your surprise you get a stink so bad that it will put even a skunk to shame!

But still imagine your ardent nature still takes you on and you insist on meeting your new found friend, you see a whole dump of garbage between you and your friend and you’re confused to think whether you have entered a dumpster or whether your friend is playing hard to get.

Well, that was just an imagination. Even in that it sounded so gross but, think about actual hoarders who live in such conditions? Hoarding management could be quite a daunting task.

Filth and debris from hoarding, fecal matter, bodily fluids, excessive trash, expired food, odour, boxed items, mould, mildew, etc., these extreme situations often require the services of trained professionals.

To clean an area of gross filth, often known as hoarders cleanup, can be a challenge and often impossible for an individual untrained in decontamination and odour removal. We at Bio Cleanse Pty Ltd have been dealing not only with the effects of the disorder, but also with the people who suffer from it.

We are primarily based in Goulburn, and cater to surrounding areas of Sydney and Canberra. Check out http://bio-cleanse.com.au/hoarding-management/ for any advice regarding extreme hoarding.