在经济高速发展的今天，很多读者可能会选择在平板电脑或手机上阅读。但是大多数人仍然喜欢手捧书本阅读的感觉。您是否想过当您把从图书馆借阅的书籍带回家时，还有可能同时带回了其它看不见的有害物质？
您知道那股让人忍不住不停打喷嚏的旧书味是什么吗？很可能是因为书本存储不当而爬满了霉菌。《纽约时报》2012年发表的一篇报道称，害虫及其卵隐藏于书脊中，以纸张中的纤维素和粘贴图书的胶水为食，常会使图书留下小孔或斑点。这些害虫于夜间外出活动，在您的床头安家，很可能您不再会用心品味书中有趣的情节，而是被害虫叮咬，备受折磨…
《宋飞正传》中有这样一幕：乔治从书店把一本昂贵的图书带进了书店的卫生间，后来被迫买下了这本（可能被污染的）图书。您可能觉得有些难以置信，我们在生活中大多没有对图书馆的健康隐患有这样的戒备。来自犹他州普罗沃市杨百翰大学的研究人员发现流通量较少的书籍上的灰尘是吸引微生物的磁铁石；而较受欢迎的图书的微生物量比其他书籍多出25%-40%。
为了营造干净放心的阅读环境，香港教育大学大浦校区蒙民伟图书馆和将军澳教学中心安装了两台LIVA 6本图书杀菌机。LIVA 图书杀菌机设有防止紫外线外露及耐冲击强化玻璃，保护用户安全的同时可实时观察杀菌全过程。借阅者单次可放置多达6本图书于书架上，按下开始键，关闭杀菌室门，30秒内即可完成对图书的全方位杀菌。
Hong Kong University of Education Introduced Two Units of LIVA Book Sterilizer
With the rapid development of high technology, many
The dust particles damage the body; begins its attack in the eyes and on the skin by making irritation and allergy problems. Some chemicals can enter in the blood stream directly via exposure to the skin. It is reported that high concentration of dust specially tarry or sticky particles can create esthetic's problems on the skin.
How Dirty Is That Library Book?
Not everyone does all their reading on a tablet or smartphone. Some people still crave the feel of a physical book. But if you get your books from the library, have you ever wondered what else you’re carrying home — especially if you’re borrowing a popular book hundreds of hands have touched?
"Seinfeld" fans might remember the episode when George takes an expensive book from a bookstore into the store’s bathroom and is later forced to buy the (presumably contaminated) tome.
So what are you really exposed to when you bring home a library book?
Mold and mildew
You know that old book smell that makes you sneeze? It’s probably due to mold or mildew. The book may have been stored at some point in a damp basement or an attic without insulation before it went to the library.
If your book looks like it was water-damaged, or if it has strange spots or stains, it probably has mold growth, experts say. Mold often coexists with mildew. Mildew can appear as a powdery, flaking layer, often white, black or grey, on the surface of the book or pages.
You can’t do much about a moldy library book, other than put it back on the library shelf, but if you’re buying a used book from a library book sale, check out Cornell University Library’s tips for removing mold from books.
Related: The Top Places Mold Hides in Your Home
Bed bugs
Bed bugs and their eggs can hide in the spines of hardcover library books, according to a 2012 report in the New York Times. The report noted some libraries are taking steps to identify the bugs and treat the books that contain them, sometimes with heat.
But keep in mind that you’re much more likely to bring home bed bugs from a hotel or even a movie theater than a library book, according to one 2011 survey of the pest management community.
Viruses and cocaine (yes, cocaine)
Belgian researcher Jan Tytgat of the University of Leuven tested the most-borrowed books from an Antwerp library, looking for bacteria and toxins.
What his team found on the popular erotic trilogy “Fifty Shades of Grey” was a surprise: The books had traces of cocaine and herpes virus, the type that causes cold sores. Fortunately, the levels found were not high enough to be harmful, generally, says Tytgat, a professor of toxicology and pharmacology.
Tytgat puts the finding in perspective, noting that traces of cocaine are more prevalent than you might think. "Whereas it was known since the 50s that each U.S. dollar bill contained traces of cocaine, this phenomenon has now also been seen in the European Union: bills, door handles, covers, books in libraries, clothes, hair — it all shows traces. But this doesn't mean that our society is chronically under the influences of cocaine," he says.
A researcher from a different library book study has changed his ways nevertheless. In that study, researchers from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, swabbed books in the library to see whether microbes could survive and spread. The dust collected on the least-circulated books were a magnet for all sources of microscopic life, they found, but more popular books had 25 to 40 percent more bugs than the others. (None of the books had as many microbes as the library doorknobs, which the researchers also tested.)