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--> --> Anthrax testing in Eugene PORTLAND (AP) - At least six people were tested for anthrax exposure after a threatening letter containing white powder was mailed to a University of Oregon physics professor. Powder spilled out Thursday when an aide opened the several-page letter postmarked from Malaysia, said Jan Power, a Eugene police spokeswoman. The assistant notified a professor, who helped her seal the envelope in another container and summoned police. "We're taking it seriously," Pauline Austin, a university spokeswoman, said today. "This kind of threat is unusual." At least two university employees and five Eugene hazardous materials workers sought medical attention at McKenzie-Willamette, said hospital spokeswoman Dorothy Velasco. Two offices in Willamette Hall were closed and the ventilation systems shut off immediately. The Eugene Fire Department's hazardous materials team cleaned up the powder, university officials said. As a precaution, the emergency department at McKenzie-Willamette was closed and swept by a hazardous materials team after a university employee went there seeking an anthrax test, Velasco said. The employee was isolated, tested and released, she said. Power said the FBI is analyzing the material and heading further investigation into the incident. FBI spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele said today that every local police and fire department in Oregon has received calls about anthrax in the past weeks. "A lot of people are nervous and scared about something unusual in their mail," she said. "There have been relatively few incidents and none on the West Coast." Still, the letter met certain criteria and needed "a little extra attention," she said. "This is just a precaution." Power said officials don't think the letter was dangerous but were especially cautious because it had a threatening tone and was mailed from outside the United States. "There are guidelines as to how to handle this. As we looked at each criteria, it kind of bumped it up a notch, because of the tone and because it was from out of the country," Power said. It was not clear who the threats were directed toward, she said. Even if the substance is not harmful, the person who mailed the letter could face criminal charges, Power said. Initial tests to determine whether the material was hazardous will take a few days. Comprehensive testing should be completed in about a week, Power said. The letter went through the U.S. Postal Service, not campus mail, university officials said. "The good news is our procedures were in place, the office staff knew what to do, and the emergency response teams on campus and in the community responded appropriately to seal the area, contain any possible hazardous material and limit exposure," said Dan Williams, vice president for administration. "We are hoping that testing will show this is only a hoax, but I am relieved that our emergency procedures were effective in drastically limiting possible exposure." Power said the incident gave several departments a chance to test the protocols developed since the Sept. 11 attacks. "We've gotten a lot of suspicious mail calls," Power said. "Every time we go through the exercise, we find a piece that helps us do things better. Our protocols are working." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing