Cyanide traces found in N.J. letter; postal facility anthrax positive

TRENTON, New Jersey (CNN) -- A mail processing facility in Camden County has tested positive for the presence of anthrax in testing conducted by the FBI, state health officials said Saturday, while a letter found in a Newark was found to contain cyanide, a postal official said.

A statement from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services said final tests were conclusive for anthrax on one sample taken from the Bellmawr Mail Distribution Center. All other samples taken came up negative through final testing, the statement said.

The environmental sampling was conducted Wednesday, after an employee at the Bellmawr facility was diagnosed with a suspected case of cutaneous anthrax.

A spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday that employee was still considered a suspected case and not a confirmed case.

The employee is a mail processor who works on machines that read bar codes and optical sorting machines.

Five other cases of anthrax -- two inhalation and three cutaneous -- have been reported in the Trenton area, in central New Jersey. Four of those are postal workers; the other is an area resident.

Meanwhile, U.S. Postal Inspector spokesman Tony Esposito said Saturday a letter leaking a powdery substance at the Newark Plant and Distribution postal facility was found to contain trace amounts of copper cyanide.

He said an employee noticed the substance coming from the envelope Friday night and reported it to her supervisor. The area was immediately cordoned off and postal inspectors and other investigators were called in.

Esposito said the Newark Department of Environmental Protection found that the substance contained laundry detergent, a bleach powder and trace amounts of copper cyanide. Copper cyanide is used for copper electroplating, and can be fatal if large amounts are inhaled, swallowed or absorbed through the skin.

The trace amount found in the powder was not considered a threat, officials said.

So far, postal inspectors across the country have arrested 18 people for anthrax hoaxes, Esposito said. Another 14 cases are pending, he said.