Time to rethink buying a second-hand copy of Fifty Shades of Grey? Library copy of erotic novel tests positive for HERPES and COCAINE

Professors tested popular library books using toxicology screening

Each of the most borrowed books tested for bacteria and microbes



All tested positive for cocaine while erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey also tested positive for herpes

Late fees could be the least of your worries next time you borrow a book from the local library.

A Belgian professor borrowed the most popular books from a library in Antwerp and tested them for bacteria, microbes and other substances.

He discovered traces of cocaine across all of most borrowed books, with the copy of erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey even testing positive for the herpes virus.



A professor from the Catholic University of Leuven tested the most borrowed books from a Belgian library, stock image of a library pictured, using bacteriology and toxicology tests. Each of the 10 most popular books tested positive for cocaine, while Fifty Shades of Grey tested positive for the herpes virus

THE FIFTY SHADES OF GREY PHENOMENON

Fifty Shades of Grey is a trilogy of books written by British writer E.L James.

More than 70 million copies of the book have been sold worldwide since it was launched two years ago.

It divided opinion because it detailed a love affair between a publishing graduate and a company CEO. A number of scenes were erotic and involved sadomasochist acts which some readers found offensive. Despite this, the book was rated the best-selling book of all time in a 2012 poll by the Telegraph newspaper. The book is currently being adapted into a movie directed by Sam Taylor-Wood, set to be released in February 2015. It is set to star Dakota Johnson as the female protagonist Anastasia Steele alongside Jamie Dornan as the male lead Christian Grey.



The research was carried out by toxicologist professor Jan Tytgat from the Catholic University of Leuven.

He decided to test the most borrowed books from Antwerp lending library using bacteriology and toxicology tests.



Tytgat told Flanders News that the level of cocaine found on each book wasn’t enough to get readers of the borrowed book high, yet was significant enough to make them test positive for the drug.



The type of herpes virus was found on the copy of Fifty Shades of Grey was herpes simplex virus type 1 - a strain of herpes that causes cold sores.

The traces of herpes found on the copy of British author E.L James’ book were equally low enough not to cause any harm:

‘The levels found won't have a pharmacological effect,’ explained Tytgat.



‘Your consciousness or behaviour won't change as a result of reading the tomes,’ Tytgat continued.

The professors insisted that the traces were minimal, did not pose a public health risk and added it would be ‘impossible for people to contract it by touching the book.’

The findings were similar to research carried out by Brigham Young University in 2011.



Fifty Shades of Grey is a trilogy of books written by British writer E.L James. More than 70 million copies of the book have sold worldwide since it was launched two years ago. The book is being adapted into a film starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, pictured

Students found the most popular books in the university library were covered in between 25 and 40 per cent more microbes and bacteria than less popular books.

The erotic Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy divided opinion when it was launched two years ago because it detailed a love affair between a publishing graduate and a company CEO.

A number of scenes were erotic and involved sadomasochist acts which some readers found offensive.

Despite this, the book was rated the best-selling book of all time in a 2012 Telegraph poll and has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide.