Cyanide Traces Found in NJ Letter

By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press Writer

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - A letter addressed to a New Jersey police department contained ``trace amounts'' of cyanide that spilled onto two workers at Newark's main post office, authorities said Saturday.

The powdery white substance spilled onto a postal worker and a supervisor Friday night.

Tests Saturday determined the powder was mainly laundry detergent, mixed with a small amount of cyanide, said Tony Esposito, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

``Based on the small amount of copper cyanide, it did not pose a hazard to anyone unless it had been ingested,'' he said.

The post office remained open, and the work area where the material was spilled was cordoned off and cleaned.

The FBI (news - web sites) and state police are investigating. Authorities would not identify which police department the letter had been addressed to.

A postal worker spotted the letter, which bore no return address and had the stamp in the lower right hand corner instead the of the upper right corner, authorities said.

American Postal Workers Union spokesman Gary Weightman said a night shift supervisor opened the letter, spilling its contents onto himself and a second worker.

Postal inspectors cordoned off the immediate area and called in the fire department's hazardous materials unit. The post office remained open and the employees returned to work after washing their hands.

Special Agent Sandra Carroll, a spokeswoman for Newark's FBI office, said the letter would become part of the bureau's widespread investigation into anthrax-tainted letters in New Jersey.

New Jersey has five confirmed cases of anthrax and two other suspected cases. All but one are postal workers.

Nationally, the total number of confirmed cases has risen to 17. Seven of those are skin anthrax, and 10 are the more dangerous inhalation type.

-- Anonymous, November 03, 2001