Chemical hazards related to clandestine drug laboratories

The number of clandestine drug laboratories in the United States and Europe has increased as a result of the rising popularity of methamphetamine, Ecstasy, and gamma-hydroxybutyrate among young people and drug abusers, and a shift from complex production procedures for these drugs to simpler "cold cook" methods involving household chemicals. Fires, explosions, corrosive chemicals, and toxic substances at clandestine drug laboratories have caused injuries and deaths among police officers, firefighters, and the public. Impurities in clandestine synthetic drugs have also caused injuries among people consuming the drugs. Information about these hazards should be communicated to public safety professionals and young people to reduce the number of injuries and deaths.