Jesse Leave the Libraries Alone

Surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, a library in Englewood, Colorado, had to shut down after its bathrooms tested positive for meth. Currently temporarily, Englewood Public Library had had reports of people smoking in bathrooms spike prior to the close. In addition to the library, the second floor Civic Center's bathrooms also had to close due to the contamination. The contaminated spaces require professional clean-up and, depending on how bad the contamination is, the bathrooms may never be able to be re-opened. At this point, it is not clear when or even if the restrooms will be brought back into circulation while the rest of the library will be reopened sooner.

How was this situation discovered? The city of Englewood ordered testing after they received reports of people smoking in the library's restrooms combined with two incidents where employees reported symptoms of meth exposure. What are those symptoms? Nausea, vomiting, headaches, confusion, and respiratory irritation. It's pretty generic and could be symptoms of exposure to other things, like nitrous oxide or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), both of which can be absorbed secondhand through the air.

What caused the city of Englewood to want to test for methamphetamine? In addition to the symptoms of employees, surprisingly, this is not the first instance of meth in a public space. The city of Englewood made the decision after the city of Boulder, Colorado found evidence of meth contamination in one of their libraries. Interestingly enough, methamphetamine is not primarily transmitted through the air and can be absorbed via skin contact with residue on surfaces. Meaning, if all of the residue cannot be removed from the bathrooms, the bathrooms may never be reopened and will need to be completely renovated. Again, the impact is not fully known at this time and the city of Englewood is still waiting on a full report from the contractor it hired for environmental testing. Once the results come back, the city will work with its health department to plan the clean-up and reopening.

Are there any other cities planning to test their bathrooms for methamphetamine residue? Apparently, the city of Aurora is looking into it as is Jefferson County, but the city of Denver has opted to now do any testing. Is there a happy ending for the library in Boulder? Yes, the library closed on December 20th of 2022 and has partially opened as of January 4th, although it appears that the bathrooms are still closed. Should you be concerned if you work in one of the impacted libraries or a public place that is suspecting methamphetamine contamination? In short, no. There are no major health risks for low dose short term exposure to methamphetamine, although it is worth noting that long term high dose exposure can result in stimulant induced psychosis, breakdown of skeletal muscles, seizures, bleeding in the brain, and violent behavior. If you notice something odd, it may be worth saying something to someone. 

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