In downtown Boulder, Colo., a public library that provides the surrounding community with a space to meet and learn has been closed for two weeks. No, winter weather was not to blame. Overdue books weren’t the cause, and neither was funding.
It was meth.
The main library in Boulder, about 30 miles northwest of Denver, was shut down on Dec. 20, when test results from restroom exhaust vents showed methamphetamine contamination, the city said in a statement.
Officials said the city had conducted the tests “voluntarily and out of an abundance of caution” after receiving reports of people smoking meth, a highly addictive synthetic stimulant known to cause several adverse health effects, in the library’s restrooms in November and early December.
State and local governments have different standards for determining what level of meth contamination is safe for the public. The city of Boulder said in a statement last week that the “thresholds for remediation set in Colorado are some of the most conservative in the nation.”
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The positive results from the exhaust-fan tests prompted further testing, which showed that the highest contamination levels were in the library’s “public-facing restrooms.” Surface contamination was also found in seating areas with booths and tables on the library’s first floor, the city said.
“In two separate incidents, library staff were evaluated and cleared for potential meth exposure after feeling ill,” the statement said.
Sarah Huntley, the city of Boulder’s director of communication and engagement, said in an email that the contamination in portions of the library, including in the public restrooms, “exceeded health department standards”
Officials said they were in the process of hiring certified remediation contractors to remove contaminated furniture and to thoroughly clean the restrooms. The process is expected to take several weeks.
In the meantime, members of the library’s staff returned to work on Monday to process materials that had been returned before the shutdown and to prepare for a partial reopening, which was scheduled for Wednesday. Full access to the building, other than the restrooms, was tentatively scheduled for next week.
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The library’s director, David Farnan, said in the city’s statement that he was confident there was “no ongoing health risk.”
Boulder County said there had been a sharp increase in the number of methamphetamine-affected properties — places where the drug is manufactured or used — in the county over the past six years.
That rise mirrors the drug overdose crisis many communities around the country are struggling to contain.
Deaths from drug overdoses rose to record-breaking levels in 2021, nearing 108,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A significant share of deaths came from overdoses involving methamphetamine and fentanyl, a class of potent synthetic opioids that are sometimes mixed with other drugs. The number of deaths associated with stimulants like meth increased to 33,000 in 2021 from 25,000 in 2020.
Meth labs have been found in parks, and the drug has been found, with some regularity, in schools across the country.
Meth contamination is a growing public health hazard, though it appears to be more common in homes and other private places where the drug is produced. In those environments, it can permeate drywall, carpets and insulation and then be ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
Some librarians have been trained to use the overdose-reversal drug naloxone. In 2020, the American Library Association published a book, “Libraries and the Substance Abuse Crisis,” to provide guidance and information to library workers who encounter people who are using drugs or seeking help for substance abuse.
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A spokesman for the American Library Association, Raymond Garcia, said that he did not know of any other recent examples of a library being closed because of drug use.
Libraries have temporarily shuttered because of severe weather and because of violent threats. In September, public libraries in Denver, Fort Worth, Nashville, Salt Lake City and the entire state of Hawaii closed temporarily because of bomb threats. Librarians have also reported an increase in disruptions related to the spike in book bans in the past two years and protests against drag queen story hours.
Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada, the president of the American Library Association, said in an email that libraries are a vital resource for communities and are often the first point of contact for people in need, including those looking for information about housing, jobs and food assistance.
“These essential roles we played out in the community, in addition to the many lessons we learned in creating virtual spaces and offering virtual services and resources during the height of the pandemic, are essential stopgaps when library buildings must temporarily close,” Ms. Pelayo-Lozada said.
Doug Baruchin, the owner of Island Trauma Services, a New York company that cleans up crime scenes, biohazards and drug contamination, said that, for drug cleanup, his company is most often called to hotels or motels where syringes or white powder has been found. Meth crystals, he said, can contaminate surfaces and the air.
“They are breaking this stuff up and smoking it, so, one, it’s going to be on surfaces where they are breaking it up,” Mr. Baruchin said. “Two, they are cooking it, so it’s going into the air, and that can adhere to surfaces, softgoods. It gets into the HVAC system.”
The chemicals used to make drugs can be deadly when mixed with traditional cleaning products. Mr. Baruchin said technicians dressed in protective equipment used a military-grade decontaminant on the affected area while operating under a straightforward principle: “Just treat everything like it’s going to kill you, and protect yourself.”
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It was meth.
The main library in Boulder, about 30 miles northwest of Denver, was shut down on Dec. 20, when test results from restroom exhaust vents showed methamphetamine contamination, the city said in a statement.
Officials said the city had conducted the tests “voluntarily and out of an abundance of caution” after receiving reports of people smoking meth, a highly addictive synthetic stimulant known to cause several adverse health effects, in the library’s restrooms in November and early December.
State and local governments have different standards for determining what level of meth contamination is safe for the public. The city of Boulder said in a statement last week that the “thresholds for remediation set in Colorado are some of the most conservative in the nation.”
Advertisement
Continue reading the main story
The positive results from the exhaust-fan tests prompted further testing, which showed that the highest contamination levels were in the library’s “public-facing restrooms.” Surface contamination was also found in seating areas with booths and tables on the library’s first floor, the city said.
“In two separate incidents, library staff were evaluated and cleared for potential meth exposure after feeling ill,” the statement said.
Sarah Huntley, the city of Boulder’s director of communication and engagement, said in an email that the contamination in portions of the library, including in the public restrooms, “exceeded health department standards”
Officials said they were in the process of hiring certified remediation contractors to remove contaminated furniture and to thoroughly clean the restrooms. The process is expected to take several weeks.
In the meantime, members of the library’s staff returned to work on Monday to process materials that had been returned before the shutdown and to prepare for a partial reopening, which was scheduled for Wednesday. Full access to the building, other than the restrooms, was tentatively scheduled for next week.
Advertisement
Continue reading the main story
The library’s director, David Farnan, said in the city’s statement that he was confident there was “no ongoing health risk.”
Boulder County said there had been a sharp increase in the number of methamphetamine-affected properties — places where the drug is manufactured or used — in the county over the past six years.
That rise mirrors the drug overdose crisis many communities around the country are struggling to contain.
Deaths from drug overdoses rose to record-breaking levels in 2021, nearing 108,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A significant share of deaths came from overdoses involving methamphetamine and fentanyl, a class of potent synthetic opioids that are sometimes mixed with other drugs. The number of deaths associated with stimulants like meth increased to 33,000 in 2021 from 25,000 in 2020.
Meth labs have been found in parks, and the drug has been found, with some regularity, in schools across the country.
Meth contamination is a growing public health hazard, though it appears to be more common in homes and other private places where the drug is produced. In those environments, it can permeate drywall, carpets and insulation and then be ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
Some librarians have been trained to use the overdose-reversal drug naloxone. In 2020, the American Library Association published a book, “Libraries and the Substance Abuse Crisis,” to provide guidance and information to library workers who encounter people who are using drugs or seeking help for substance abuse.
Advertisement
Continue reading the main story
A spokesman for the American Library Association, Raymond Garcia, said that he did not know of any other recent examples of a library being closed because of drug use.
Libraries have temporarily shuttered because of severe weather and because of violent threats. In September, public libraries in Denver, Fort Worth, Nashville, Salt Lake City and the entire state of Hawaii closed temporarily because of bomb threats. Librarians have also reported an increase in disruptions related to the spike in book bans in the past two years and protests against drag queen story hours.
Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada, the president of the American Library Association, said in an email that libraries are a vital resource for communities and are often the first point of contact for people in need, including those looking for information about housing, jobs and food assistance.
“These essential roles we played out in the community, in addition to the many lessons we learned in creating virtual spaces and offering virtual services and resources during the height of the pandemic, are essential stopgaps when library buildings must temporarily close,” Ms. Pelayo-Lozada said.
Doug Baruchin, the owner of Island Trauma Services, a New York company that cleans up crime scenes, biohazards and drug contamination, said that, for drug cleanup, his company is most often called to hotels or motels where syringes or white powder has been found. Meth crystals, he said, can contaminate surfaces and the air.
“They are breaking this stuff up and smoking it, so, one, it’s going to be on surfaces where they are breaking it up,” Mr. Baruchin said. “Two, they are cooking it, so it’s going into the air, and that can adhere to surfaces, softgoods. It gets into the HVAC system.”
The chemicals used to make drugs can be deadly when mixed with traditional cleaning products. Mr. Baruchin said technicians dressed in protective equipment used a military-grade decontaminant on the affected area while operating under a straightforward principle: “Just treat everything like it’s going to kill you, and protect yourself.”
A Colorado Library Closed Because of Meth Contamination
Officials in Boulder said it would take several weeks to decontaminate the city’s main library after methamphetamine was detected in the restrooms and on tables.
