Some people in the LDS Church Office building in Salt Lake City were evacuated this morning after an unknown powder was found in an opened envelope. Hazardous materials crews from the fire department were quickly on the scene.
Six people who were in close proximity to the powder were decontaminated and evaluated. Hands, face and skin that could have been exposed to the powder were cleaned.
“None of the six showed any symptoms or any signs of illness,” said Jasen Asay, spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Fire Department. “We released them and let them go home for the rest of the day.”
Field-screen tests on the powder eventually came back negative for being dangerous or explosive in any way. It was sent to the state crime lab for further evaluation, according to Asay.
The envelope was found on the third floor of the Church Office Building, in an area of the missionary department, according to Asay.
There was no threatening letter included with the powder in the envelope. The FBI is expected to participate in the investigation to help determine the envelope’s origin, according to the Deseret News.
Asay said if people encounter powder in an envelope they open, the Fire Department encourages people to call 911 and have Hazmat teams check it out.
“We are fortunate that nobody was injured and that we were able to get in, get everything cleaned up and returned back to normal,” Asay said.
