Updated: Mon, Jul 1, 2019, 11:50 pm
Uploaded: Mon, Jul 1, 2019, 12:44 pm
Nerve agent detected in package at Facebook facility
Hazmat crews expected to remain on the scene past midnight
Emergency crews evacuated four of Facebook's buildings in Menlo Park Monday morning (July 1) after the possible presence of a chemical weapon was detected in mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, according to the Menlo Park Fire Protection District.
Firefighters said that around 11 a.m. their hazardous materials protocol was activated after a package at Facebook's mail and package facility on Hamilton Court in Menlo Park was tested three times for sarin and came back positive twice.
Sarin is a clear, colorless nerve agent with no taste or odor; its form can be liquid or vapor, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exposure is possible through skin or eye contact, as well as inhalation.
The building was evacuated and a hazardous materials crew was called in, along with officials from the San Mateo County Health Department and county Office of Emergency Services. The FBI and U.S. Postal Service officials were later requested, and they arrived on the scene between 2 and 3 p.m., according to a fire district press release.
Officials then requested the expertise of the 95th Civil Support Team, based in Hayward, to evaluate the package, Menlo Fire Chief Schapelhouman said. The team, part of the United States National Guard, assists authorities in dealing with chemical, biological and radiological weapons, according to its website.
The county hazmat response team and civil support team entered the facility at 6 p.m. and tested the package before leaving about 45 minutes later, Schapelhouman said.
Crews were scheduled to re-enter the building between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. "using more sophisticated detection equipment," he said.
"The plan is to also recover the package in question and place it in a mobile containment device and remove it from the structure and area," he added.
Processing each test sample can take up to an hour and a half, and the entire operation is not expected to be completed until after midnight.
Schapelhouman said the incident is contained to the Facebook mail and package facility and "does not present a threat to the broader community."
Three of four buildings that were evacuated have since been cleared, according to Facebook spokesman Anthony Harrison. Two people handled the package in question, but there are no medical matters to report, and these individuals are not thought to have been exposed to any dangerous materials, according to the fire district.
Almanac reporter Rick Radin and Assistant Editor Julia Brown contributed to this report.
— Bay City News Service
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