AMERICA'S drug crisis is manifesting in an unusual way this month, in the form of the abrupt closure of a number of public libraries in Colorado due to methamphetamine contamination.
Officials in the Denver suburb of Englewood closed the local library within a couple of hours of receiving the results of tests which showed high levels of drug residue in the restrooms.
Other areas also tested positive for lower levels of the drug, with specialised remediation work now under way including removal of tainted surfaces and even the replacement of air conditioning ducts and exhaust fans.
The library's management decided to undertake the testing after similar contamination was found in the main library in the nearby city of Boulder.
A spokesperson for the American Library Association told local media that as far as they were aware, at this stage library closures due to drug contamination are limited to Colorado.
It's thought the apparent surge in library-based drug use is partly related to colder weather which has seen more people taking shelter in the facilities.
The closures are also the result of extremely low thresholds for detection in Colorado, where the rules are "some of the most conservative in the nation, out of an abundance of caution" according to a statement from Boulder officials late last month.
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