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More than six months after the first anthrax scares in Florida and New York, the effects are still being felt at the University of Maine. A suspicious package – the second on campus since Sept. 11 – was found in Chadbourne Hall Friday, April 26 shortly before 10 a.m. By noon, it was on its way to Augusta for testing.
The package was mailed to the Bureau of Labor Education on the second floor of Chadbourne Hall, saidCaptain Henry Vaughan of the Orono Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team.
The eight by 10 envelope from India arrived at Chadbourn via the U.S. Postal Service Thursday, but the man the package was addressed to did not open it until Friday, Vaughan said.
“He started opening it and when he got it part way open he saw a brown substance,” Vaughan said.
At that point, the man who opened the package began to follow the outline regarding suspicious packages given to all university employees following Sept. 11.
Noel March, director of UMaine Public Safety, said he credits the Chadbourne Hall staff for following those guidelines to the letter.
“A collaborative response has been made and in this case it was followed to the letter,” March said Friday.
When the substance was discovered, the man bagged the envelope and double-bagged it, according to the protocol. He then washed his hands and called Public Safety, Vaughan said.
The call came in at 9:50 a.m., Lt. Mike Zubik of UMaine Public Safety said.
Public Safety then called the Orono Haz-Mat squad who took possession of the package.
The second floor of the building was evacuated for about a half an hour, said Jackie Jones, office manager of the Admissions Office, which is housed on that floor.
“In our area it was a little scary,” she said. “We were concerned about the secretary who happened to open the package.”
Vaughan said there is no reason for anyone in the building to worry yet, and no one was hospitalized as a result of the incident.
“Nothing came out of the envelope when he opened it,” Vaughan said. “[So] there is no need at this point.”
When the package arrived in Augusta at the Maine Emergency Management Agency Vaughan said it would be opened and then a sample would be tested.
“Basically what they have to do is grow a culture,” Vaughan said.
By Monday, officials should be able to determine what the substance is, he said.
“My general feeling is that it is nothing, but you have to take all the safety precautions,” Vaughan said.
