Perfume, not anthrax, found in student's mail

by Hillary Copsey
Senior City Writer

While the U.S. Postal Service has solved one Athens anthrax scare, others remain unsolved.

Officials closed the post office, 5 W. Stimson Ave., Monday for several hours after suspecting a white powdery substance in a letter addressed to an Ohio University student could be anthrax, said Melody Rurik, Postal Service communication specialist. The Postal Service determined the substance was perfumed powder the student's girlfriend had enclosed in the letter.

Many of the anthrax scares around the state have been common household items like this one, Rurik said.

"With as much information as we've put out, we still get a lot of calls," she said. "We've had everything from perfume powder to calcium tablets and pancake mix. Why people can't buy it at a store, I'll never know."

Though most scares are not anthrax, Rurik said the Postal Service would continue to investigate any suspicious packages. As the public becomes more aware of the problem, she said she expects reports of possible anthrax to decrease.

"With increased focus (on anthrax) - as we educate both (postal) employees and the general public - I think people will be more alert," Rurik said. "But as long as we get reports, we'll continue to investigate each one."

In the past two weeks, Athens Police Department officers have investigated five possible anthrax cases, said APD Lt. Tom Pyle.

Substances found at two of the five locations - McBee Systems, 1055 E. State St., and Planned Parenthood, 396 Richland Ave. - have been sent for testing, Pyle said.

Lab technicians at the Ohio Department of Health are slow to reach results because they are so backlogged with non-credible anthrax threats, said Chuck Hammer, Athens City-County Health Department administrator.

Preliminary results on the Planned Parenthood substance have not been published. But Pyle said it is likely the substance tested negative for anthrax.

Hammer said it also is likely the McBee substance is a non-credible threat.

"It's not going to come back positive for anthrax," Hammer said. "It's going to be tested, not because we think it is a threat but because the manager requested it be tested."