We responded to 2 White Powder Calls this week, one at State Farm in Malta and one in Fort Edward. The request from Fort Edward was not for the team. They were looking for our AHURA Meter. As it turned out when we got there they asked for our help. We made the entry and collected the white substance, Glens Falls FD provided 2 guys for back up and the Washington County Haz Mat Team set up and provided Decon.
We tested the material using the AHURA meter (No Match Found) and then the Guardian Meter “Anthrax” Neg results also. The P.h. was ~ 8. Scanned it with the APD 2000 and checked the air with a Multi RAE Meter. The AHURA failed to find a match, OFPC Rep contacted AHURA 24 hr hotline and we ended up reading the card in the meter and e-mailing the spectrum that was created by the substance. Within < 30 minutes the AHURA chemist was able to provide us some information on what was in the material and the fact that he did not see any signatures that would make it Hazardous. The matl is going to Wadsworth Lab on Monday, because the mail came from an inmate at a correctional facility. This was the second package sent this week. Another was found in Utica that turned out to be BP medication.
Just wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you who have stepped up to make the TEAM what it is today. I’m very proud of our team and its members. It is my pleasure to be the teams Chief, and work with a great bunch of guys.
Great Job to yesterdays volunteers & SSFD crew, Capt & Firefighters
http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/washington_1253280___article.html/county_clerk.html
Malta Call
NATHAN PALLACE -
npallace@poststar.com
A Saratoga County Hazmat team member is hosed down after retrieving a
mysterious white powder from the inside of a building at the State Farm
Insurance Company's Malta complex Wednesday afternoon.
To order copies of staff-produced photos from The Post-Star, please visit
http://reprints.poststar.com/.
MALTA -- Four workers inside the State Farm Insurance complex near Northway
Exit 12 received a scare early Wednesday afternoon after they discovered a
soap-dish-size container that held a white powder-like substance, police said.
The substance turned out to be a harmless combination of plant-derived
starches.
A female worker who complained of throat irritation alerted authorities of the
container about 12:45 p.m. Wednesday.
The Saratoga County hazardous materials team, based in the Saratoga Springs
Fire Department, was dispatched to the scene along with Round Lake Fire
Department and the Saratoga County Sheriff's Department.
Donning protective gear, members of the hazardous materials team entered the
building and removed samples of the powdery substance.
The material was then placed on the front bumper of a fire truck adjacent to
the building for testing. The testing procedure involved using a meter that
shot a beam of light, similar to a laser, capable of identifying approximately
8,500 different substances, said Ed Tremblay, deputy director of emergency
services at the county.
Tests determined that the powder contained a mixture of cornmeal, corn starch,
potato starch and dextrin -- a kind of sugar derived from starch -- said
Joseph Plewinski, spokesman for the Round Lake Fire Department.
Police did not identify the source of the powder, and no arrests were made in
connection with the discovery.
The four employees, who were not identified, were evaluated at the scene by
medical personnel and allowed to return to work.
About 1,200 employees work in the entire State Farm Place complex, although it
was not known how many were inside the building where the substance was found,
said Jawanza Ali Keita, a spokesman for State Farm Insurance.
NATHAN PALLACE -
npallace@poststar.com
A Saratoga County Hazmat team member is assisted as he puts on his safety suit
before entering Building 1 at the State Farm Insurance Company complex in
Malta Wednesday afternoon after a mysterious white powder was discovered
inside the facility. After the powder was gathered and tested at the scene, it
was identified as a mixture of cornmeal, corn starch, potato starch and
dextrin, a kind of sugar derived from starch.
To order copies of staff-produced photos from The Post-Star, please visit
http://reprints.poststar.com/.
The building was not evacuated, he added.
The hazardous materials team has been dispatched approximately six times this
year in the county, Tremblay said.
Online Editor Madeline Farbman contributed to this report.
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