In Germany, poisoned books removed from libraries

The “green of Schweinfurt”. In Germany, books suspected of being poisoned by arsenic have been removed from libraries. In total, nearly 15,000 works must be analyzed, reports the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. Düsseldorf City University has been forced to close its library to students until March 22. Other German libraries have had to quarantine some of their books.

These potentially dangerous books for health were identified by the presence of green on their cover and spine. Called “Paris green” or “Schweinfurt green”, this pigment was used in the 19th century to produce an emerald color. At the time, the substance in question was created from copper acetate and arsenic trioxide. The chemical combination has been used in other cases, notably to make fake flowers, dye gloves and even dresses.

Prolonged exposure or repeated handling of these books (if you moisten your fingers with your tongue when turning the pages in particular) can cause dizziness, stomach cramps or diarrhea. The danger for humans therefore lies in inhaling the dust present on shelves or books, as arsenic does not degrade over time.

Today, although the pigment is no longer marketed, the German Library Association warns of its danger, arsenic being recognized as carcinogenic. “Each institution has the task of assessing to what extent books with colored pages or covers are problematic for the health of users and how to deal with them,” the newspaper explained, specifying that not all books with a green color are not necessarily toxic.