Powder found at Corinth post office not anthrax

CORINTH – The discovery of an unidentified white powder early Wednesday temporarily closed the post office here. After the substance was tested and deemed free of anthrax, however, the facility was reopened and back to business as usual.

Wednesday’s incident was the latest of dozens reported in Maine in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. Though anthrax cases have been substantiated elsewhere in the nation, Maine has yet to see a confirmed case.

According to Maine State Police Trooper Kyle Willette, postal employees found some suspicious white powder as they were reporting for work at 6:30 a.m. The discovery prompted employees to call the state police. Also sent to the scene were members of the Corinth Fire Department, the Orono Fire Department’s hazardous materials response team and a representative of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Willette said.

Willette said the powder had been strewn on the post office’s front walkway and inside the lobby, which was locked at the time. Authorities still were working Wednesday afternoon to determine how it got there.

Capt. Norman Webb of the Orono Fire Department said trained hazardous materials handlers collected a sample of the powder, which Willette hand-delivered to the State Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory in Augusta. Team members also decontaminated the affected area with a solution of bleach and water.

Willette said state lab officials deemed the powder free of anthrax and “no cause for concern.” He said the incident remains under investigation.