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Anthrax scare downplayed
by Paul Teetor
Like many towns and cities across the nation, Manhattan Beach has been hit with its share of mail-related anthrax scares this week.
Police and fire officials reported at least four cases of possible anthrax, with only one of them being serious enough to call in the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the county health authorities.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the people involved had not developed any symptoms of anthrax poisoning, according to Fire Chief Dennis Groat.
The most serious of the four cases began last Friday, when a family in the 1300 block of Gates Avenue received its daily mail, delivered through a mail slot into the house.
According to the police report, the wife was the first to arrive home, around 4 p.m. She picked up a "People" magazine and sat down on the couch to read it.
As she was thumbing through it on page 3, a small quantity of white powder appeared to be spilled across the page. She quickly realized that she had spilled some powder on the black blouse she was wearing.
The woman became further alarmed when she noticed that the address label, which is always addressed to her, was blank this time.
The woman then left the magazine on the bathroom floor and washed her hands, police said.
Her husband came home at 5 p.m., went into the bathroom, and picked up the magazine to read it. He saw the white powder but did not touch it.
He took the magazine out back, threw it in the trashcan and washed his hands. He then picked up his daughter and held her, not yet fearing cross-contamination.
When the family later discussed the incident, they became suspicious that it could have been a biological agent such as anthrax and called the police department. Both the police and fire departments responded to the call.
Once on the scene, the fire department put the magazine and the woman’s black blouse into two large clear plastic bags. The family members were told to shower for decontamination purposes and to see their doctor.
Fire Chief Groat said both the magazine and the black blouse were given to the Los Angeles County Health Department, which currently has possession of them.
"My understanding is that the county is holding onto it and waiting to see if any symptoms develop in the people involved before they begin testing," Groat said. "It does not appear to be anthrax, but we’re not going to take any chances."
There were three other calls from Manhattan residents who felt there was something suspicious about their mail, but Groat said none of them were as serious and credible as the one involving the People magazine.
"There’s a long established protocol for assessing the credibility of biological and chemical threats," Groat said. "After the assessment, none of the other three rose to the level of being serious and credible."
However, after the FBI and local police went through the assessment protocol, the incident involving the "People" magazine was deemed possibly serious.
"There was just enough to push it over the line into being a possible threat," Groat said. "It wasn’t real high on the scale of credibility, but because it was a powder, and because of the flaking, it appeared that it could be a biological agent."
Groat urged Manhattan residents to be cautious but not to panic.
"One of the problems we have is a shortage of information and understanding," Groat said. "It’s understandable that people are going to be concerned, and if they have any questions about their mail or anything else that looks suspicious, they should call the police or the fire department. Any suspicious letter or package will be evaluated by the proper authorities."
Sgt. Tony DiGenova of the Manhattan Beach Police Department also urged Manhattan residents to exercise caution with their mail.
"If you get any suspicious packages or
letters, especially if you see white powder, don’t touch it, just contact the police and fire departments," DiGenova said. "We will respond, assess the situation, and act on it."
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