Meth lab fires put heat on burn Centers

Fires at covert improvised laboratories used to produce illicit methamphetamine are producing a new type of burn patient. Many of these burn patients need to be decontaminated as they are coated in the chemicals used to produce methamphetamine. Therefore they need to be treated for both thermal and chemical burns. Also many of the patients injured in meth lab explosions are typically methamphetamine users and may be undergoing withdrawal during treatment for the burns. The number of individuals injured in meth lab explosions and the cost oftheir care comprise a small fraction of the burden of uncompensated medical care costs.