Meth-lab cleanup a growing business in Indiana

Methamphetamine use and production is running rampant in many rural places, with some "cookers" using increasingly dangerous methods. Meth cooking leaves behind toxic residue that sickens residents long after labs are dismantled. Crisis Cleaning, a rural Indiana company, specializes in meth-lab cleanup in that state plus Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky.

Company officials say business is good because of the epidemic, reports Nick Schneider of the Greene County Daily World. Crisis Cleaning started out cleaning up death and crime scenes, but in 2006 sheriffs across Indiana asked it to clean up meth labs. It's one of about six firms in Indiana specializing in such work, Schneider reports. (Daily World photo)

Business soared after Indiana passed a law requiring property owners to clean up after meth makers, who usually use rental properties. Crisis Cleaning CEO Donetta Held said most people think that when police raid a lab, that's the end of the story; but, everything in a place where meth was produced has to be cleaned to remove liquid and particulate toxins from walls, floors and ceilings. When the company's five inspectors move in, they test each room to determine meth levels. Residences sometimes have to be cleaned three times to fully remove toxins.If decontamination costs are more than the residence's value, often the case with mobile homes, the dwelling is usually scrapped.(Read more)