[djmcmath]

My sister and her husband made the mistake of purchasing a house that had previously been used as a meth lab (yes, as in methamphetamines, a very common homegrown drug in the Pacific Northwest). Apparently, if you paint over it (like the previous owners apparently did), it covers the smell (and effects) for a while, but eventually, the meth residue/fumes/whatever(?) seeps back through and contaminates everything.

They went through a long testing process, assuming it was something else terrible (Black Mold), and performing the necessary steps to decontaminate everything possible. The decontaminated stuff (which has no black mold, but apparently still contained some leftover meth) was stored at my parent's house while my sister and her husband were trying to get their own house in order.

Now they're realizing that the stuff is completely indestructable (ammonia, alcohol, nothing touches it), can put normal people into a coma, cause cancer, etc. The worst case is that they'll end up losing the house entirely -- bulldoze it over with all their earthly possessions inside, and start over from scratch. Given that they have two small children, and he's only a music teacher, that's pretty rough. Insurance has already said they won't cover meth contamination (or black mold; I wonder what they _will_ cover?).

Does the Pelican braintrust have any brilliant ideas? Anyone have experience with decontaminating a meth lab?

Thanks in advance.

Dan