Almost any white powder is causing a panic

San Antonio Express-News

SAN ANTONIO — A woman called the 911 emergency number to report that her doughnuts were covered with a white powder.

Police and fire personnel were called to a school gymnasium to check on a white, powdery substance.

And a man reported a powdery substance on a diaper-changing table in the men’s bathroom.

Sugar, chalk and talcum powder were the culprits — not anthrax.

Dr. John Casada at the University of Texas Health Science Center urged people Tuesday to stop and think.

"To see white powder and think of anthrax is a big distortion," he said. "Every time you give in to fear, it makes it easier to be afraid next time."

For days, the San Antonio Fire Department has been inundated with calls from panicked residents reporting suspicious packages and white, powdery substances.

Fire Lt. Frank Walsh said his crew takes every call seriously, even if it causes a chuckle or two.

"It’s usually a well-meaning individual who misinterpreted what they saw," he said.

Casada, an assistant professor of psychology, said the public has been receiving mixed messages about its safety and the threat of biological weapons.

"Those people responsible for public safety are saying to be careful," he said. "Those in areas of commerce and tourism, they’re the ones saying, ‘Let’s get back to normal.’ "

Caught in the middle is the public. People want to behave normally but can’t help but be fearful. The result is dozens of frantic calls to police and firefighters from residents and a taxed fire department responding to every call, just in case.

If it continues at this pace, Casada said, there is a potential for safety officials to become desensitized to the seriousness of each call. "If you exhaust people, they’re not going to work as efficiently," he said.

In order to preserve the department’s resources, the fire department recently broke the hazardous materials team into smaller groups. A fire engine and a van respond to calls reporting suspicious substances.

"That’s one way we’re keeping the haz-mat team from responding to every call for an unknown substance or unknown chemical," fire spokesman Tommy Thompson said. "It keeps them a little bit more available for hazardous material emergencies."