(Sioux City)– A powdery substance discovered on the sleeve of a worker at the Sioux City regional postal processing center resulted in delayed mail delivery Monday to some northwest Iowa residents.
Officials say the center was shut down around 1:30 a.m. when the discovery was made. The worker and three others were decontaminated and taken to a Sioux City hospital. They were checked over and found to be okay. They were told to report back if they start developing flu-like symptoms.
Officials say they strongly believe the powder was NOT anthrax. They think it came from the worker brushing up against something dusty. As a precaution, authorities and postal inspectors went through an estimated 52-thousand pieces of mail…but nothing suspicious was found and the center was re-opened.
Several trucks were late leaving the center as a result of the shutdown…resulting in a delivery delay in some areas.
