Since the beginning of October, when news reports of anthrax letters first began, Cornell Police and Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) have responded to 63 incidents on campus in which people have reported suspicious mail or substances. All of the reports have been investigated and, so far, none has been found to involve any health-threatening chemical or biological substances.
The first call came Oct. 9 from a staff member at the Laboratory of Ornithology who told Cornell Police he had opened a letter some days earlier that had a religious message and a powdery substance. He had disposed of the letter, so there was no opportunity to test it. He was evaluated for anthrax by his family physician and an area hospital and prescribed antibiotics as a precaution.
Samples from four suspicious mailings have been delivered by Cornell Police to the New York State Health Department's Wadsworth Center Laboratories for analysis. They were an anti-religious letter received at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations in late September, reported Oct. 14; a letter with a powdery substance from overseas received in Sage Hall, reported Oct. 15; the Oct. 31 Warren Hall letter (see story); and a package from Chile received in the mailroom of Uris Library Nov. 5. All tests came back negative.
EH&S and Cornell Police examined and cleared 47 suspicious letters and packages, eight of which had suspicious powder. Others were stained, had no return address, had an unknown sender or misspelled words on the envelope. Most of the powders were determined to be cornstarch or silicone-based powders used by printers or mailers to protect printed materials or keep items from sticking together.
People on campus also reported suspicious materials they observed in various buildings or outside. Some reports of suspicious white powder turned out to be dust from construction, crushed chalk, body powder or whey protein isolate.
Physicians at Gannett have responded to calls from persons who had visited buildings that had anthrax exposures in New York City and Washington, D.C. Each person was given an individual consultation to determine risk. Gannett physicians also have consulted with those on campus who reported possible exposure to unknown powders. None of these reports has been found to involve exposure to dangerous substances.
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