Saturday, May 01, 1999
Mysterious powder empties office
CCV staff undergo decontamination in biohazard scare
BY LEW MOORES and EARNEST WINSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Sharonville office of an anti-pornography group got a scare Friday afternoon from an envelope that contained a powdery substance.
The incident resembled an anthrax scare, as the three people from the offices of Citizens for Community Values (CCV) went through the decontamination process — relinquishing their clothing and showering in a special unit set up by the Greater Cincinnati Hazardous Materials Unit. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was not contacted and did not respond to the incident, said Beth Gianforcaro, a Columbus-based EPA spokeswoman.
The envelope was delivered to CCV offices, 11175 Reading Road, on the ground floor of the Sharon Square office complex.
Three people in the CCV offices called the fire department after they partially opened the envelope, which contained a letter and powdery substance that they thought was unusual.
After decontamination, the three were allowed to leave.
Fire Chief Dale Duermit, who recovered the letter, said the envelope was sent to a lab for analysis. Results aren't expected until midweek.
Two offices on the ground floor were evacuated, but Chief Duermit said the building can be reopened as early as today.
Two hazmat team members who went into the building in pro tective clothing to take samples also went through the decontamination process.
Decontamination and testing is “a long, slow process,” Chief Duermit said.
In February, another letter set off an anthrax scare at Cincinnati Women's Services in Walnut Hills.
In October, abortion clinics in Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky and Kansas received letters with Cincinnati postmarks containing an unspecified substance and notes that said: “You have just been exposed to anthrax.” All turned out to be hoaxes.
Anthrax is not contagious. The infectious disease usually is found in animals. But its spores can be produced in a dry form suitable for weapons and can be fatal to humans even in microscopic amounts if not treated early enough with antibiotics.
Ed Bridgeman, head of the criminal justice department at the University of Cincinnati's Clermont College, said biotoxic scares have become “the bomb threat of the '90s.”
“If this were anthrax,” Mr. Bridgeman said, “the real victims for the terrorists will be everyone watching. The audience is the real victim of the terrorist. ... This is doing just exactly what someone with a terroristic idea wants to do.”
CCV is a grass-roots, pro-family organization that has thousands of supporters who believe traditional values strengthen the moral character of a community and thus foster a healthy environment for family living.
The anti-pornography group has led several efforts to close adult entertainment businesses in Greater Cincinnati. CCV President Phil Burress could not be reached for comment Friday night.
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