Spilled powder raises ruckus at state office

JIM CARLILE, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Friday, March 8, 2002

OLYMPIA -- A powder that spilled from an envelope onto a worker at a State Department of Health office Thursday morning tested negative for anthrax.

A worker at the Fir Grove building, 2413 Pacific Ave., opened a letter at 9:20 a.m. that contained some type of powder, and it spilled on her, Olympia Fire Department Battalion Chief Pat Noonan said.

The fire department, Olympia Police Department, the Department of Health and the Washington State Patrol responded to the call, he said.

"It was hard to determine what it was, so we packed it up and the State Patrol took it to Shoreline to get tested," Noonan said.

The public health laboratory for the Department of Health is in Shoreline.

"We accepted the substance from local authorities, and we did the faster of two tests you can do to determine if it is anthrax," said Donn Moyer, media relations manager for the State Department of Health.

"It came back negative," Moyer said.

Jim Carlile covers crime and public health for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-357-0204 or jcarlile@olympia.gannett. com.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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