>To remove the odour, we used to put charcoal from our fire place in a billy >(tin) in the refrigerator overnight. By morning the odour would be gone, >soaked up by the charcoal (so we were told). I have not had to try this but it makes sense. Charcoal is used to absorb toxins in many situations. It is used as the filtering agent in gas masks for chemical warfare where it stops everything except CO2. When I was in the ambulance service, our first aid kits had packets of charcoal. If our patients had swallowed any toxins we were supposed to give them a dose of charcoal (never actually had one of these cases). For many of the toxic substances commonly available, the safety directions often quote charcoal as the best way to handle accidental ingestion. Regards Chris Allen