A mother and father-to-be in Missouri were rocked when they found out their dream home used to be a meth lab and was heavily contaminated with methamphetamine and meth-making residue.
In Missouri, a seller who knows that a home once had a drug lab in it is required to tell the buyer, but nobody told this family.
Many of you had questions about how Tennessee handles properties known to be former meth labs.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) keeps a registry of properties under an order of quarantine that is updated every 60 days.
In order for a property to be deemed a living space safe for human use, it must meet certain standards.
Properties owners are responsible for making sure the contamination is cleaned up. A clean-up contractor or industrial hygienist who has been approved and certified by the state is required for officially getting the property off the registry.
Randall Coward is a former licensed clean up contractor based out of Maryville.
He's cleaned up nearly a dozen homes in the last three years.
"I have to go from ceiling to floor," Coward said. "I even do duct work--clean the air conditioner intake. That's a lot of times where you've got it and it's hard to get to."
Coward is listed as one of dozens of licensed clean up contractors on TDEC's website.
He said he has to wear a full hazmat suit to make sure he stays safe while cleaning.
"They're filthy normally too, so, I spent a week one time just trying to get to the floor," Coward said. "It took a whole dumpster, I mean one of those big long dumpsters."
He said he's seen fewer meth labs in the last year.
"Most people are not making it, say, in their homes or cars--because that was a thing too," Coward said.
In Tennessee, state law indicates if a structure is quarantined because of meth contamination, local law enforcement has to let the county register know, and it has to put it on file for the owner.
Coward said future homeowners should always be on the lookout.
For more information, visit TDEC's Meth Contamination website.