Officials in Colorado shared that a library in the state has been forced to close its doors after methamphetamine contamination was discovered inside of it. This marks the second closing of a library for such reasons in a month.
Last week a library in Englewood shut down a city library after test results showed that there was methamphetamine contamination exceeding state thresholds in the building's bathrooms, Chris Harguth, a spokesman for the city, shared with The Associated Press.
Englewood officials decided to run the tests following the closure of a library in the city of Boulder last month. The library had also found contamination from the narcotic inside its bathrooms and elsewhere in the building.
In Englewood, Harguth shared that countertops and other areas of the building yielded positive tests for lower levels of the drug.
Before the building reopens, the spokesman said that specialized cleaning would be conducted, along with the removal of tainted surfaces, walls, ductwork, and more.
Raymond Garcia, a spokesman for the American Library Association, shared with the AP that the contamination has been limited to Colorado, and there have not been any other facilities in the state to test positive for the substance.
Shawn Lewis, Englewood’s city manager, shared with the Wall Street Journal that the findings were worrying and that the closure was necessary due to safety concerns.
“We immediately began working to remediate affected spaces with the goal of reopening the library as soon as possible,” Lewis told the Journal.
The Justice Department has shared that residue from the narcotic can cause symptoms like headaches, shortness of breath, nausea, and more. However, Harguth says that secondary exposure is not believed to cause chronic health concerns.
The Boulder library has since reopened its doors to the public, but spokesperson Annie Elliott said the bathrooms in the building would remain closed while the replacement of vents and other structures takes place.
Meth usage has become increasingly common since 2020, when more than 2.5 million Americans reported using the substance, according to a CDC report. That was an increase of 1.6 million compared to years prior.
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