Methamphetamine makers have been mixing the volatile chemical ingredients in two-liter bottles, also known as the "shake-and-bake" approach, for several years. The slightest mistake in brewing, though, can cause an explosion, burning flesh or causing blindness or death. The number getting burned has increased sharply, flooding hospital burn units with victims. Most are uninsured, and because treating one patient for a day can cost thousands of dollars, and some wards are struggling to stay open, reports Jim Salter of The Associated Press.
The shake-and-bake approach is popular mostly because it's cheaper, but also because it's portable, easy to conceal and can yield meth in minutes rather than hours. Larger, non-portable meth labs also explode, but people can escape those fires. Shake-and-bake labs are harder to avoid because makers hold the bottle close to the body, causing burns on the face down to the waist if they explode. "You're holding a flame-thrower in your hands," said Jason Grellner of the Franklin County, Missouri, sheriff's department.
In the country's most active meth-making states, almost a third of burn patients were hurt while doing shake-and-bake. It's overwhelming hospitals and has been a major reason seven U.S. burn units have closed in the last six years. Salter reports it's impossible to know the exact number of people burned while making shake-and-bake meth, because some avoid treatment and no one keeps track of those who do. But hospitals in the most active meth-making areas report a rise in burn patients linked to meth production. (Read more)
The shake-and-bake approach is popular mostly because it's cheaper, but also because it's portable, easy to conceal and can yield meth in minutes rather than hours. Larger, non-portable meth labs also explode, but people can escape those fires. Shake-and-bake labs are harder to avoid because makers hold the bottle close to the body, causing burns on the face down to the waist if they explode. "You're holding a flame-thrower in your hands," said Jason Grellner of the Franklin County, Missouri, sheriff's department.
In the country's most active meth-making states, almost a third of burn patients were hurt while doing shake-and-bake. It's overwhelming hospitals and has been a major reason seven U.S. burn units have closed in the last six years. Salter reports it's impossible to know the exact number of people burned while making shake-and-bake meth, because some avoid treatment and no one keeps track of those who do. But hospitals in the most active meth-making areas report a rise in burn patients linked to meth production. (Read more)
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