NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Channel 4 News has learned that the makers of methamphetamine are using propane tanks to transport their toxic ingredients for producing the drugs.

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This poses a risk to the public because often times the meth makers return the tanks to stores, who then resell them.

The tanks might be contaminated with a dangerous residue of anhydrous ammonia after being used to make the methamphetamine.

At ACE hardware and dozens of other places around Nashville, residents can exchange their empty propane cylinder for a full one.

The tanks are sent to a company such as Blue Rhino to be refilled.

"They're supposed to go through them and check them for leaks and whether the valves are operating properly,” said Ron Gunter of Tusculum of ACE hardware.

The anhydrous ammonia can corrode the valve and fittings on the propane cylinder, which can force it to leak.

Once this happens, it can release a corrosive ammonia vapor which could burn a person’s skin, harm lungs or cause death.

Blue Rhino company Vice President of Marketing Chris Hartley said the company has a several-step process it uses to inspect its tanks.

He said when the company receives a tank, each one is leak checked for any breech and that the staff is specially trained to detect any sort of alterations to the tank.

Hartley said that when an issue with a tank is identified, a HAZMAT team is called to properly dispose of the tank. He said cases in which they receive such a tank are rare.

"We actually don’t encounter many of those tanks at all," Hartley said.

The Tennessee Meth Task Force said to never reuse a discarded propane tank.

Experts said to look for any blue-green corrosion on the brass valve, look to see if any connection threads have been tampered with and give a sniff test. Try to notice the smell of ammonia.

If there is any indication of ammonia, consumers should not open the valve to see what's inside.

The state Meth Task Force said it has been successful in cutting down the number of methamphetamine labs thanks to that law restricting how cold pills are sold.

However they said methamphetamine production still is a problem in Tennessee.

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