Second Colorado library closes to clean up methamphetamine contamination

Meth contamination at the Boulder Library prompts some to get tested, and others to consider a new protocol


Meth contamination at the Boulder Library prompts some to get tested, and others to consider a new protocol

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Closed Libraries - Methamphetamine
Signs are placed on exterior doors informing visitors that the library and restroom are closed due to methamphetamine contamination on January 12, 2022, in the Denver suburb of Englewood, Colo.

David Zalubowski/AP


Englewood, Colo. – For the second time in a month, a Colorado library closed its doors to clean up methamphetamine contamination.

City spokesman Chris Hargoth said officials in the Denver suburb of Englewood closed the city’s library last week within two hours of getting test results Wednesday showing that contamination in the facility’s restrooms crossed state thresholds.

He said other spaces such as countertops have also tested positive for lower levels of the drug and will require specialized cleaning. The extensive repair work will include removal of contaminated roofs, walls, ductwork and exhaust fan equipment.

Harguth said the city of 33,000 residents just south of Denver decided to test the drug after officials in the nearby college town of Boulder closed its main library after discovering methamphetamine contamination.

It is the latest example of the balancing act that urban libraries must navigate between making their facilities welcoming while keeping them clean and safe. When rashes of overdoses were reported in bookstores in the mid-2010s as the opioid crisis grew across the United States, some libraries were stocked with the antidote Naloxone, known by the brand name Narcan.

So far, library closures caused by methamphetamine contamination appear to be limited to Colorado, according to spokesman Raymond Garcia of the American Library Association, who was unaware of any other place across the country in recent years. The group declined to comment on whether drug use is increasing in libraries, citing a lack of recent data.

Health officials say methamphetamine residue can be an irritant, causing symptoms such as itchy throat, runny nose and congested eyes. But secondary exposure is not believed to cause long-term, chronic health concerns, Hargoth said.

Drug use is not uncommon at Inglewood Library, but reports of it have increased in recent months as cold weather has led to more people seeking shelter there, with only a few using it, said Christina Underhill, the library’s director. More broadly, the library has attracted more homeless people since it fully reopened after being closed at the start of the pandemic.

“We are very accommodating,” Underhill said. But “there are some individuals who abuse this space and unfortunately put us in this situation.”

Brenda Folsom, who was picking up her grandkids from school near Inglewood Library on Thursday, said she has seen an increase in drug use in the area over the past two years, particularly in her local park. She worries about her grandchildren, ages 3 and 8, who go to the library with their dad, and other curious kids might pick up needles and other drug paraphernalia in her bathrooms.

“I think if they were cleaning their restrooms a little bit more or paying more attention to the restrooms and the things or people who go in them, they wouldn’t have this problem,” Folsom said. In her view, the library should have better security and more frequent inspections of facilities.

Boulder officials indicated that their city’s library closure last month was a result of the state’s strict rules for cleaning up methamphetamine once a test reveals it. They also note that standards for the amount of acceptable methamphetamine contamination were developed with an eye on homes, where repeated exposure is more likely than in public buildings.

Colorado’s rules are “some of the most conservative in the country, using a great deal of caution to protect infants and children from exposure,” the city said in a Dec. 28 statement.

The Boulder Library has since reopened, said spokeswoman Annie Elliott, but its bathrooms remain closed as crews carry out disinfection work including replacing fans and vents. Once this is done, the restrooms will remain locked and anyone who needs to use them will have to ask a member of staff or a security guard to access them.

Inglewood Library has made some changes to help the homeless who go there. The outreach group comes every Monday to provide services such as help with IDs and food and housing vouchers, according to Underhill.

However, after some library users said they didn’t feel safe, the city hired security guards last year, she said. It also created a code of conduct with the aim of helping librarians enforce the rules.

Englewood also recently increased funding to add more staff in hopes of deterring drug use, according to the library’s website.

“The use of the library has changed,” Underhill said. “More people are coming to use it as a shelter.”

In Denver, home to the largest library district in the state, there is less concern about pollution, CBS Colorado reports.

“We are confident that what we are doing now is exactly what we should be doing to keep our spaces clean every day, all day long and that we are monitoring the use of our bathrooms which is something we did prior to this situation,” said Erika Martinez, a spokesperson for the Denver Public Library.

However, they want to ensure that their buildings remain open and work with the city.

Officials with the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment say that while there are no state or federal requirements for regular testing for methamphetamine, they are working on their own protocol for proper evaluation and clean-up practices.

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