Four People Treated in Hialeah after Receiving Envelope with Mystery Powder

Miami Herald: Four people treated in Hialeah after receiving envelope with mystery powder

Four people treated in Hialeah after receiving envelope with mystery powder

HIALEAH, Fla. -- (AP) -- Four people were hospitalized Sunday after they opened a manila envelope that contained a mysterious white powder, rescue officials said.

Two of the four occupants of the house -- a 72-year-old man, his 72-year-old sister-in-law, his 36-year-old daughter and a 70-year-old woman -- developed fevers after they arrived at Palm Springs General Hospital, said Stanley Stark, a spokesman for Hialeah Fire-Rescue Department. He did not know which.

The man was going through the home's mail Saturday afternoon when he opened the business-size envelope containing the powder. The home's occupants initially did not think much of the substance, but their fears it could be something harmful grew overnight and they alerted authorities Sunday morning, Stark said.

The FBI and a hazardous materials team from Hialeah Fire-Rescue quarantined the one-story home, taking the mail and the clothing the occupants wore at the time the envelope was opened, Stark said.

Neighbors on both sides of the home were told not to go outside. Entry to the block was not allowed. It was unclear what the powder was and why the family received a letter containing an unknown substance, Stark said.

The FBI analysis of the powder should be completed later Sunday, Stark said.

anybody heard anything more?

This article says 8 people now being treated . . .

source: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGAOJ8ALJSC.html

Mystery Powder Causes 8 to Be Treated in Hialeah
The Associated Press
Published: Oct 7, 2001

HIALEAH, Fla. (AP) - Eight people from two homes were hospitalized Sunday after they received manila envelopes containing a mysterious white powder, rescue officials said.

FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said preliminary tests on the powder completed late Sunday show it does not contain any chemical or biological toxins, but further tests will be conducted just to make sure.

It did not appear that the substance had hurt anyone seriously, and authorities know of no connection between the two homes that received envelopes.

The first envelope was discovered Saturday. Jacinto Perez, 72, was going through his mail when he opened a business-size envelope containing the powder.

He and the other occupants of his house - his sister-in-law Luz Digiana, 72, his 36-year-old daughter, Susy Larsh, and Gregoria Rodriguez, 70 - originally did not think much about the substance, but their fears grew overnight and they alerted authorities Sunday morning, Stark said.

Perez, Digiana and Larsh all developed low-grade fevers after arriving at Palm Springs General Hospital, while it was determined Rodriguez had not been exposed to the powder. All were examined and released later Sunday.

The FBI and a hazardous materials team from Hialeah Fire-Rescue quarantined the one-story home, taking the mail and the clothing the occupants wore at the time the envelope was opened, Stark said.

Also on Sunday about six blocks away, Pedro Rodriguez, 42, was throwing out an unopened envelope when he heard a popping sound and saw a white powder trickle out. He later felt a burning sensation on his arm.

Rodriguez and his wife, Maria, also 42, and their daughters, Mercedes, 18, and Llanes, 14, were taken to North Shore Medical Center, where they were under observation and in stable condition late Sunday.

Five rescue workers who treated the family were also taken to local hospitals and, as a precaution, given antibiotics for bacterial infections, including anthrax, Stark said. They were then released.

Yes.

Oct. 7, 2001, 10:05PM

Bioterror pranks put 13 in Florida hospitals
By GAIL EPSTEIN NIEVENS
Copyright 2001 The Miami Herald

MIAMI -- A pair of apparent bioterrorism hoaxes sent eight residents and five firefighters to hospitals for observation Sunday after two families in Hialeah reported receiving mysterious envelopes containing a white powder.
Authorities said the incidents appeared to be related, unfounded bioterrorism scares, but the diagnosis came only at day's end after a host of fire, hospital and public health officials treated the events as the "worst-case scenario" terror attacks for which they train.
"They're taxing our system, and we're dealing with people's lives here. I'm hoping if it is a hoax, we don't let our guard down, and then when the real thing happens, many people can die as a result," said Rescue Lt. Stanley Stark.
The Miami-Dade County Health Department urged the public not to overreact to news that a Lantana man died from a rare case of anthrax Friday.
"I don't want to have this community panicky," said Dr. Eleni Sfakianaki, medical director of the department, which tested at least one of the white powders. The results were still pending.
Even if a real anthrax attack were to occur, Sfakianaki said, victims would not show symptoms of infection within the first 24 hours. That can take weeks to months, health officials say.
In Hialeah, paramedics responded to a call at about 8:30 a.m. after a 72-year-old man reported having difficulty breathing when he opened an envelope containing a white powder on Saturday.
Hialeah Fire Rescue identified the people taken to Palm Springs General Hospital from that address as Jacinto Perez, 72; Luz Digiacana, his sister-in-law, also 72; Susy Larsh, 36, his daughter; and Gregoria Rodriguez, 70, a tenant in the Perez home.
Stark said the three relatives had low-grade fevers.
They were treated with antibiotics and released after their blood tests came out negative, but they were told not to return to their house for the time being.
The tenant was not exposed to the powder but was transported to the hospital as a precaution, he said.
All four were placed in isolation.
Stark said that on Saturday, the family found in the mailbox a brown envelope containing a blank sheet of paper and the white powder.
They did not recognize the sender's name or address, he said.
"They were basically very nervous," Stark said. "I'm not sure why they waited so long to call us."
At the scene, the fire department deployed its specially outfitted hazardous materials team into the house to take the envelope and the clothing the relatives were wearing when they were exposed to the white powder, Stark said.
"We took every precaution because we didn't know what this white powder was," he said.
Police cordoned off the block for several hours, and Fire Rescue told Perez's neighbors to stay inside with their windows shut until they got the all-clear.
The second scare was reported at about 4 p.m. when another letter "similar in size and color" to the first and also containing white powder was reported by a family of four living about eight blocks away, Stark said. No names were released.
Stark said that when the father went outside to put the letter in the garbage on Sunday, "there was a minor explosion, and a white powder came out of the letter." The man felt a minor burn and irritation on his right hand, where it came in contact with the powder, Stark said.
The man then went into his apartment, potentially contaminating his family and eventually the paramedics who entered the apartment to treat him.
Stark said a husband and wife, both 42, and their two daughters, ages 14 and 18, were transported to North Shore Medical Center.
Three firefighters were sent to Palmetto General Hospital and two more to Hialeah Hospital.
All of them were placed in isolation and were awaiting blood test results, Stark said. No one reported feeling ill. Stark said the fire department evacuated the floor and the hazardous materials team was again on the scene.
"I really don't know what the intention of the sender was or why these people were targeted," he said.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.