Montana researchers are using lab mice to study the impact of long-term exposure to methamphetamine smoke, in hopes of better understanding the health risks to children who live in homes where meth is made or used, the Associated Press reported Jan. 1.

"I can say we have some very promising preliminary data that indicates acute respiratory distress, and we're moving forward based on those results," said researcher Sandra Wells of the University of Montana, who also is active in the Montana Alliance for Drug Endangered Children. "This will be the first information out there to address pulmonary injuries in children related to these exposures."

Montana lawmakers are now considering a bill that would make it a felony to expose a child to methamphetamine. Anecdotal reports suggest that children living in meth houses suffer a variety of health problems, including hair loss, dental decay, and rashes, but researchers want to know if there also are more profound effects, such as asthma or pulmonary fibrosis.

"It's not like secondhand cigarette smoke where we know for a fact that exposure is harmful," Wells said. "We treat meth as though it's radioactive, but in fact it's been approved for medicinal use at lower levels. I expect there probably is a safe level of exposure to meth, we're just not sure what it is."

As law-enforcement efforts against meth users and dealers has increased, so have child-welfare cases. "We don't just look at building cases against adults suspected of manufacturing or distributing anymore," said Craig Campbell, a Helena, Mon., police officer.

"Now we're also trying to prove and gather evidence for the crime of child endangerment. We're terminating cases and raiding labs earlier than we normally would have. As soon as we learn that a child is present, it becomes a priority to gain access and get them out of that environment. We don't wait for the distributor to make another purchase or possibly identify a higher-up. We just get the child out of that situation."