Postal Facility Free of Ricin After Vial Intercepted

There is no evidence that a South Carolina postal facility became contaminated with ricin after a letter containing a vial of the toxin arrived there last week, FBI officials said yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 23).

The vial, found inside a letter at the facility in Greenville, S.C., tested positive for ricin last week, U.S. officials said Wednesday. The outside of the letter’s envelope carried the typewritten message: “caution-Ricin-poison,” according to a statement from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. 

The full results of the facility tests were not expected to be available until this morning, according to U.S. Postal Service spokesman Gerry McKiernan. Postal officials would then decide whether to reopen the closed facility (Associated Press/CNN.com, Oct. 24).

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