On the afternoon of Oct. 30, a torn shipping package with a dried white substance was found in Mudd Library by staff sorting through the day’s U.S. mail. The package contained a newspaper from Russia, one of the many foreign publications the library receives. The incident was immediately reported to Oberlin College Safety and Security.
In accordance with U.S. Postal Service guidelines, the package and the immediate area were secured and the room was temporarily closed. Lorain County Health Commissioner Ken Pearce arrived that evening to inspect the package and determined that the white substance was not anthrax. It was most likely dried paste and posed no “credible threat.” Initial testing on the package showed that the substance contained no bacterial spores. The package was then sent to the Lorain County Health Department for further testing. The results, which came back yesterday, were negative. As a precaution, the appropriate areas were completely inspected and underwent a anti-microbial cleansing by a professional bio-recovery firm.
A similar incident occurred at roughly the same time in the library of Davidson College in North Carolina, in which the same newspaper was delivered with a dried-glue substance on it, leading officials to believe that the substance was simply a packaging adhesive from the same Russian shipping plant.
The incident emphasizes the degree of concern and anxiety currently felt throughout the nation regarding the threat of anthrax. “I don’t think there’s a reason to be overly anxious,” Director of Libraries Ray English said. “I think given everything that’s going on within the country, its reasonable to be alert but I would be surprised if Oberlin would be a target of anthrax.”
While the library mail-room has resumed normal operation, staff have been given training in identifying suspicious mail in order to try to catch it before it enters the library. The library also intends to review mail-sorting procedures.
English noted that, in a way, the experience was useful. “[It] gave us a chance to think in very concrete terms about how to deal with a situation that could be potentially really threatening,” he said.
Robert Jones, Director of Oberlin College Safety and Security, recently attended a joint meeting with all town municipalities throughout Lorain County to discuss how to respond to potential mail threats. “What we do should be, basically, uniform throughout the whole county,” he said. “We have to adopt procedures in responding to a situation like this.
While emphasizing the improbability of further potential threats, Jones did note a heightened sense of concern around campus, although the number of calls to the Security Office has not noticeably increased. He expressed the importance of keeping people informed about any suspicious incidents and initiating discussions on how best to respond to them.
Notices have been sent to all students and staff regarding procedures that should be taken with any mail that seems suspicious. A list of indicators to look for on parcels of mail that may be suspect is also included.