LV post office evacuated while powder investigated

Thursday, Oct. 11, 2001 | 10:34 a.m.

The U.S. Postal Service's main office in Las Vegas was evacuated this morning after an employee noticed a suspicious white powder that was later determined to be coffee creamer.

"It's a sign of the times," postal spokesman Vic Fenimore said. "We're taking every precaution and following every procedure."

An employee noticed white powder inside a tray in the processing plant, which handles more than 800,000 pieces of mail each day. A hazardous-materials team was called in at 3:15 a.m., and once the powder was identified, the office reopened 90 minutes later, Fenimore said.

"Business was not affected at all," he said.

Concerns over potential mail threats are running high nationwide following the death of a Florida tabloid employee from anthrax.

Two of the victim's co-workers at the Boca Raton office of American Media have tested positive for anthrax exposure. The source of the exposure is not yet known, and FBI officials say there is no evidence the infections are related to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

From 1999 to 2000 the post office recorded 178 anthrax threats sent to court houses, women's health clinics, churches, schools and post offices, according to a statement released today by the Office of the Postmaster General. There have been no confirmed incidents involving the use of mail to transmit any biological or chemical weapons, the postmaster said.

Anthrax is a bacterial disease that can be transmitted only through direct skin contact or inhalation and is not contagious. Symptoms include fever, fatigue and cough.

If someone suspects they have received an anthrax threat in the mail, the post office recommends: