MONROE — An incident in the mail room of the Monroe Correctional Complex on Tuesday prompted a county hazardous materials response.
Emergency crews were summoned at 10:34 a.m., Monroe police spokeswoman Debbie Willis said. A prison employee had been opening an envelope in the mail room when an unidentified white powder fell out.
The mail room is within the Twin Rivers Unit, Willis said.
The employee who opened the envelope was taken to the local hospital as a precaution, Willis said. The employee had no obvious injuries and was showing no symptoms of chemical exposure.
About 20 prison staffers were working in that area at the time, she said.
Police and firefighters left the prison before 2 p.m. The investigation continues.
“The substance was not identified and will be sent to a lab for further testing,” Willis said.
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