Fumes evolved from the solvent mixture used (a mix of alcohol and diethyl ether) and some of the reactions early in the process are also a danger to poorly ventilated labs, and prolonged exposure can cause problems for people in the lab. Incidentally, some of these fumes are heavier than air, so they stick closer to the floor and often accumulate instead of filtering out of the room. They are also quite flammable. These fumes being ignited by pilot lights or other sparks is one of the main reasons meth labs explode.
You could make the production process a chain of steps (possibly in different workshops) and have the appropriate steps produce "lab fumes" which ignite very easily and also inflict mild syndromes on dwarves without adequate protection. Perhaps a workshop that transforms them into a "dwarf with a mask" that doesn't breathe. Other steps of the reaction could produce a boiling stone with a very high internal temperature that will ignite any gas still floating around. This wouldn't be any danger to players who take the necessary precautions (don't do both reactions at once, basically. I don't think gas hangs around very long in DF even if it doesn't have anywhere to go.)