One-hundred and sixteen employees at Pelican Bay State Prison were quarantined Tuesday after the prison received a letter claiming to contain a suspicious substance.

Staff working in the prison’s administration building, mailroom and warehouse were released from the quarantine early Wednesday morning, said Terry Thornton, deputy press secretary for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. No injuries were reported, Thornton told the Outpost in an email Wednesday.
Upon receipt of the letter Tuesday, prison investigators sealed the document and its contents in a bag to prevent exposure and evacuated employees in the administration building, Thornton said.

A Hazmat team from Humboldt County visited Pelican Bay to conduct preliminary tests of the substance on Tuesday, according to Thornton. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is continuing to test the substance. Results may take several days, she said.

CDCR officials are working with local, state and federal authorities to determine what the substance is. Local law enforcement is also considering potential secondary exposures and are taking steps to mitigate additional safety concerns, Thornton said.

As of Wednesday, Pelican Bay’s administration building is closed, but the prison is operating normally and the inmates are unaffected, Thornton said.

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