# Hazard of meth. ingredients

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hazard-of-meth-ingredients/229506>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 16, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hazard-of-meth-ingredients/229506 "2004-02-16T17:15:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hazard-of-meth-ingredients/229506/1 "2004-02-16T17:15:53Z")

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What goes into the making of methamphetamine? No, I don’t want to make the stuff 🙂 , but I’m puzzled at the response of the hazmat folks whenever a meth lab gets busted. According to the [news](http://www.canada.com/edmonton/story.asp?id=B5EF7C65-0E9A-44B6-8E1F-67DC77339564) the ingredients to make it can “be bought in almost any store”, but exposure to these agents “could lead to a very prolonged and horrible death.” I seem to recall hearing a while back that any house that has been used as a meth lab has to undergo serious decontamination (rip out the carpets, insulation, etc).

So, what are these horrible things that can be bought in almost any store?

PS I’m not implying any criticism of the drug enforcement activities - I **know** meth is not nice stuff. I’m just puzzled at how the labs are taken down.

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**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hazard-of-meth-ingredients/229506/2 "2004-02-16T18:15:59Z")

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Carcinogens and some extremely volatile flammables, volatile to the point of explosive.

Ether, battery acid, Draino… nice list, that.