Powder scare clears Misawa post office,
but tests show it wasn't anthrax
By Wayne Specht, Misawa
bureau chief
Wayne Specht / Stars and Stripes
Air Force hazardous material specialists clad in self-contained protective suits prepare
to enter the Misawa Air Base, Japan, post office Thursday to perform a test on a white
substance found on a package being handled by a postal worker. Tests showed no presence of
anthrax. |
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — Customers and military postal workers were evacuated from
Misawa’s post office Thursday after white powder was found on a package.
Maj. Claudia Foss, a base spokeswoman, said tests showed the substance was not anthrax,
and workers were allowed to return to the building shortly after 3 p.m.
The incident began around 1:30 p.m. as postal workers were sorting incoming packages in
the single-story building near the base theater.
Police and fire units responded after workers reported seeing a white substance on a
package being handled by a postal clerk.
Rescue personnel and hazardous-materials specialists in protective gear set up
positions near the building as 20 patrons were evacuated. A street adjacent to the
building was cordoned off.
"Patrons were ordered to remain in the vicinity until the origin of the powder was
determined," Foss said.
Two Air Force civil engineering members — trained to handle hazardous materials
and wearing self-contained protective suits — tested the substance with hand-held
kits.
"It’s a 15-minute test that determines if the powder is of a biological
nature or not," Foss said. "It tests specifically for the presence of
anthrax."
Col. Richard Howell, 35th Support Group commander, said the precautions were being
taken despite a report that a postal worker was seen sprinkling baby powder on his hands
prior to putting on rubber gloves.
As a safety precaution in the aftermath of anthrax incidents at U.S. postal facilities,
postal workers here were instructed to wear rubber surgical gloves while handling
packages.
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