WELLINGTON — A growing national drug problem found its way into the fields of Wellington on Thursday night as emergency crews discovered a lackluster attempt to steal an agricultural chemical commonly used to make crystal meth.

At 10:45 p.m., Wellington fire crews responded to the 47300 block of New London-Eastern Road after a man was overcome by fumes leaking from a nearby anhydrous ammonia tank.

The tank, used to store a nitrogen-based fertilizer for crops, sat roughly 50 yards behind the man’s house, and — when safety crews arrived — they found  a 20-pound propane grill cylinder had been attached to the tank by way of a low-grade rubber hose, which had been melted away by the chemical, Wellington fire Lt. Bill Brown said.

“There was a large cloud (of anhydrous ammonia) in the air when we arrived, but fortunately there was no wind,” Brown said. “It’s a dangerous chemical, and we immediately started to evacuate. We were lucky there was no wind.”

New London-Eastern Road was closed off and more than 10 homes were evacuated to help protect residents from the chemical, which Brown said can severely damage the eyes and respiratory system.

Three people had to be transported to Allen Medical Center in Oberlin after complaining of mild symptoms, Brown said, but no one was seriously injured.

A fact sheet detailing the theft of anhydrous ammonia from the Ohio State University said the chemical has been used as a low-cost, highly effective fertilizer for many years.

Drug dealers, however, also have discovered that it can be used to manufacture the illegal drug methamphetamine, also known as crystal meth, and have targeted farm tanks as a source.

Lorain County sheriff’s Sgt. Donald Barker said the overwhelming smell of crystal meth labs often leads its makers into rural, less-populated areas, but it is a drug that has begun to turn up locally.

“We see quite a bit of it, but not like the quantities you see out west or down south,” he said. “It’s more populated around here — it creates an odor that people would probably complain about.”

Barker believes the thieves attempted to connect the hose to the propane cylinder and ran off when the leak occurred. There currently are no suspects.

According to OSU, only five to six gallons of anhydrous ammonia are sufficient to manufacture a large quantity of methamphetamine.

To help prevent thefts, OSU recommends the purchase or rental of locking devices for tank valves, in addition to keeping a close watch on them.

Contact Stephen Szucs at 329-7129 or sszucs@chroniclet.com.

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