MONTICELLO -- Two U.S. Postal Service employees remained under observation at Lawrence County Hospital Saturday night after breathing in an unknown substance Thursday morning. Two other Postal Service employees have been released.
Three hospital workers also complained of illness and were sent home for the day, according to Mayor David Nichols.
Although the nature of the substance is still unknown, the FBI, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and State Health Department have all ruled out anthrax as a source of the illness. The source, however, is still under investigation.
"They believe it to be an incidental chemical and not something intentionally done," said Sheriff Joel Thames.
Nichols said the investigation is focusing on a mailbag containing The Baptist Record. The employees reported smelling a noxious odor and feeling ill when a certain mailbag was opened, he said. Investigators believe the source may be the ink used in the newsletters, but have not limited their investigation to the mailbag, Nichols said.
"The printing company of the newsletter has been contacted," the mayor said. "A sample of the ink and paper has been obtained and is at the lab being tested."
The incident began at approximately 7:30 a.m. Thursday when three of the employees "suddenly became violently sick," said Nichols.
The two women and one man were taken to the office of Dr. Brantley Pace complaining of "an overwhelming odor and pungent material" they had apparently breathed in while working, Nichols said.
"All three patients had lacrimation, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, shortness of breath, nausea and intense severe headaches, but no vomiting," Pace said. "When they walked into my office they were wobbly and appeared to have trouble standing. When they would sit down, they stated they felt better sitting up rather than lying down."
All three workers were transferred to the hospital for further observation and tests. Since then, Nichols said, Pace has also ruled out insecticide through toxicology tests.
A fourth person, who works for Harrigill Trucking, which is under contract to the Postal Service to deliver bulk mail, became ill Friday morning.
"He passed out while delivering mail to the Sontag Post Office," Nichols said.
The man later told investigators he had delivered bulk mail to Monticello Thursday and felt ill, but continued to work, Nichols said. Friday he was overcome by the illness while at the Sontag office.
The Department of Environmental Quality took swipes at the post office Friday of the truck he was delivering in, but failed to discover a source. He had been driving a different truck Thursday. Further tests on both trucks have been made.
The results of all tests conducted Thursday and Friday will not be available for 5-7 days, Nichols said.
Anthrax has been ruled out for several reasons, Nichols said. The conditions of the illness rule out anthrax because the agent is odorless and all four postal employees complained of a noxious odor, he said. Also, the transmittal of the source of the illness to three hospital workers eliminates anthrax as a cause because the agent is not contagious.
"Three hospital workers who worked on the employees also became mildly sick," Nichols said. "They were treated and sent home for the day."
The mayor said there is no reason for people to avoid using the post offices.
"The post office is safe," he said. "DEQ has taken air samples at the Monticello Post Office and the surrounding areas and found no toxins."
Police Chief Willard Griffin had closed the Monticello Post Office briefly Thursday until receiving word from the Postal Service in Jackson to reopen it later that day. While it was closed, Griffin and Fireman Hugh Summers searched the facility for any type of gas leak or burned insulation or wiring and found nothing, Nichols said.
"I would like to take this opportunity to urge all citizens, business owners and governmental agencies that if you notice anything out of the ordinary, whether it is an odor, unidentified substance or a suspicious looking person, to leave the area immediately and notify your local law enforcement agencies," the mayor said. "With all that is going on in the world today it is better to err on the side of caution."
Nichols said he would also like to thank Sens. Thad Cochran's and Trent Lott's offices for their assistance in moving the investigation forward by mobilizing the different agencies involved and coordinating their activities with the local authorities.
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