By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com
The old white powder in the envelope trick continues to scare people and disrupt work places even though none have ever proved dangerous since the 2001 attacks that killed five people and sickened 17.
The latest: White powder envelopes, that were later found to be harmless, were discovered Monday in eight federal buildings in seven cities in Washington, Idaho and Utah, the Associated Press reported.
An IRS building and a U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boise were evacuated. Letters were also sent to various FBI offices.
“It is obviously disruptive and taken seriously,” FBI special agent Frederick Gutt told AP.
AP reported that a field test on powder found in Bellevue, Wash., showed it was comprised of calcium carbonate, which is found in chalk and limestone.
After the 2001 deadly anthrax letter attacks, the postal service set up systems to detect letters with anthrax and other harmful materials.
