Meth Container May Have Caused Illness, Police Say

A sanitation worker felt ill Wednesday morning after handling what Bethlehem police suspect may have been a container that was used to produce methamphetamine.

The worker was collecting garbage on the 100 block of E. Fairview Street—just blocks from Liberty High School—at about 11:40 a.m. when the suspicious container fell out, said Bethlehem Police Chief Jason Schiffer.

The worker said he felt ill and drove himself to an area hospital for treatment, the chief said. The incident is under investigation and there is no threat to the public, Schiffer added.

A hazardous materials team was called to the scene to handle disposal of the container, according to The Morning Call.

There has been a seeming epidemic of methamphetamine related crimes in the region in recent weeks, including a meth lab explosion that partially destroyed a home on Greenleaf Street, a basement meth lab inadvertently discovered by police in Freemansburg and a Pen Argyl man’s alleged suspicious purchase of 50 pounds of chemical fertilizer from the Northampton County Farm Bureau, which led police to discover another burgeoning meth factory.