Maybe a short personal experience will help this post. Several years ago I was responding to a suspicious person call at a storage unit complex. At this complex was an old house that the “caretaker” stayed in. When we arrived the lead deputy went to make contact with the caretaker before we searched the area. I stayed on the porch watching the aisles in the complex, then I diverted when I heard commands to stop were being yelled.
I went to assist as the deputy was part way inside the door. The caretaker had a small meth lab in the living room and tried to destroy it when he opened the door for the deputy (not realizing it was law enforcement knocking) and having a felony in progress, the drugs could have been moved or destroyed readily so he charged in in “hot pursuit”.
I was maybe 10 seconds behind when he and the suspect came wrestling out. The deputy shoved me back and told me to secure the suspect and not go in due to the active lab. Within 15 minutes the deputy began to experience a strong headache and blurred vision. An EMS crew had been immediately dispatched when we advised exposure to a lab. The deputy was taken by ambulance (crew was in protective gear) to the ER ambulance port where he was stripped down and literally hosed down with low pressure water, his clothing was destroyed and his gear secured until decontaminated.
He was not admitted but treated and released with wifey watching all night. He later said the short exposure to the chemicals resulted in the fastest he ever went to not feeling good at all. If he had not recognized the danger we were facing and ordered me out there could have been two exposures and patients.
The chemicals they use to make that crap can buckle you in a few minutes. Yes, they make it different now but a lot of the old tweekers still do it the old way. They take their spoils and just dump wherever and anyone could get exposed by walking past it or through it. What do we do? Dig small plugs in the lawn to get a good signal. Are we wearing PPE? Think about it, STAY AWAY FROM THOSE HOUSES IF YOU KNOW OR SUSPECT IT WAS A CRACK HOUSE.