Please help! Need to know if these chemicals biodegrade or break down over time...

[AutumnOak]

Hi, all. I'm in desperate need of some answers on whether it would likely be safe to move into a house that was a former meth lab 15 years ago...

 

I need to know if the ingredients used to produce methamphetamine break down or biodegrade over time. And how much they do so. The house I'm about to move into was used as a meth lab by a tenant back in 2002. The police dealt with them. It's had various tenants since then, but no more drug incidents according to the police.

 

After 15 years, would the ingredients used to cook meth have broken down or biodegraded significantly?

 

I looked up a list of the chemicals used and tried to research this on my own, but I don't have a lot of chemistry knowledge so it's all rather confusing. Especially given the issue of indoor vs outdoor biodegradation. Hence why I'm asking here.

 

The chemicals are:

Acetone

Lithium

Toluene

Red phosphorus

Hydrochloric acid

Pseudoephedrine

Sodium hydroxide

Sulfuric acid

Anhydrous ammonia

Battery acid

Xylene

Antifreeze

Lye

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I don't have much in the way of options, since I'm disabled and on a small fixed income. I've already paid the rental deposit. But I can't move into a home that turns out to be just as toxic as the day this garbage was cooked.

 

Thank you.

[John Cuthber]

Broadly, yes those materials all degrade (In some cases it's by reaction with air, rather than biodegradation)
Also, if the previous tenants survived...

[AutumnOak]

Thanks for responding. Just a couple more questions...

 

Do they degrade completely or almost completely after 15 years? Is it something you'd feel safe residing in?

[John Cuthber]

I'm not sure I'd be happy living in the sort of area where they set up meth labs.

If I moved into any new house I'd give it a fairly thorough clean- nothing complicated- soap + water.

After that, I'd not expect to be able to find any residual contamination.

15 years of habitation by others - even if they weren't ken on housework- would probably have removed most of the materials you mentioned.

I'd also like to know why somebody is marking your posts down.

[Strange]

I'd also like to know why somebody is marking your posts down.

 

 

It did seem unreasonable.

I'm not sure I'd be happy living in the sort of area where they set up meth labs.

 

I guess that is why it is affordable.