Suspicious letter prompts evacuation at Palo Alto VA

[Newsjock]

Source: Palo Alto Weekly

An employee in the business department of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System was thought to have been exposed to a toxic substance Tuesday afternoon, prompting an emergency response from the Palo Alto Fire Department and hazardous-materials team.

The substance, contained in a letter that had been mailed to the VA, was not immediately identified, according to Kerri Childress, VA spokeswoman.

... The contents of the letter were "erratic in nature," and the employee went to the emergency room, Childress said. He became nauseous, and VA employees called the Palo Alto Fire Department and haz-mat team.

The first floor of building No. 6 at 3801 Miranda Ave. was evacuated, and all air vents turned off, Childress said. One hundred employees left the building. No patients are housed in building No. 6., and there is no connection to patient-care areas.

Read more: http://www.PaloAltoOnline.com/news/show_story.php?id=20077