ALBANY, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to election officials in several states . One such place was the New York State Board of Elections office on North Pearl Street in Albany on September 17.
HAZMAT incident in Albany linked to suspicious mailings in several states
“On Tuesday afternoon we received our mail as usual and as part of that mail there was an envelope in the bin that was leaking out a powdery substance” sad Kathleen McGrath, Director of Public Information at the New York State Board of Elections.
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Board spokesperson Kathleen McGrath says the organization immediately went into emergency mode.“We called 911 and got law enforcement and emergency personnel here to temporarily evacuate the area to decontaminate and then law enforcement took custody of the substance,” McGrath.
What exactly was that substance? The FBI says it’s still investigating. In the interim, board workers are taking precautionary measures. “We actually just had a training with staff earlier that day about reminding them to always use personal protective gear like gloves and masks that we use when we open mail,” said McGrath.