BELLEVUE – The FBI is investigating after envelopes containing white powder showed up in government offices from Seattle to Boise.
In Bellevue, a building with offices of the Internal Revenue Service was evacuated around 12:30 p.m. A female worker said she opened an envelope in the mailroom and white powder "poofed" out.
"One worker was directly exposed and another worker was close enough nearby to be concerned. We've taken both of them to the hospital," said Lt. Eric Keenan of the Bellevue Fire Dept.
Federal and local investigators converged on the four-story building. While Port of Seattle bomb dogs searched the perimeter for possible threatening devices, Bellevue Fire sent its hazmat team inside to gather evidence.
"They're going to take photos, try to get a sample and maybe test it here, but their main goal is to get a sample and send it to a crime lab in Shoreline," said Keenan.
Field tests show that the powder in the Bellevue letters was a calcium carbonate, similar to chalk. It will still be sent to the lab for more thorough testing.
The fear of course, is anthrax, a bacteria that can be grown as a bio-weapon, which, when ingested or inhaled, can be deadly. But the threat has all the appearances of a hoax.
In Boise, where a similar envelope was mailed to the U.S. Attorney's office, field tests showed the white powder did not contain any threatening substance.
Similar letters containing white powder were discovered in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and at the Federal Courthouse in Seattle, where two employees were evaluated, but showed no symptoms.
Powder was also sent to the Spokane FBI office, the FBI office in Pocatello, Idaho, and the FBI office in Salt Lake City, Utah.
An investigative source tells KING 5 news that investigators found anti-government threats in the letters.
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