The library in Boulder, Colorado was closed after meth was found in the bathroom.
The library closed its doors for the first time. The City of Boulder said in a Wednesday update that "nearly all" of the coliform was found on the surfaces and in the air ducts of public-facing bathrooms. According to the statement, meth was found in high traffic areas.
The furniture in the seating areas may be replaced with something that can be cleaned regularly because the city said these areas would need professional clean-up.
It's not clear if public restrooms will be brought back.
The library building is expected to open on Tuesday.
David Farnan, the city's library director, said in a statement that it was a sad situation.
After a spike in reports of people smoking in the library's public restrooms, and two incidents where employees reported symptoms consistent with exposure to meth, the city ordered testing. The medical staff cleared those employees.
The symptoms of meth exposure are nausea, vomiting, headaches, confusion, and respiratory irritation.
It isn't primarily transmitted through air. The issue is that people can come into contact with surfaces through touch and then transfer that contact to other surfaces on their body.
The risk of serious health effects is low according to the city.
The results are troubling according to the update.
The city hired a contractor to do environmental testing and is waiting for the results. The results of the clean-up will be released within a week.
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