PLAINFIELD, CT (WFSB) -
Emergency officials in Plainfield said they were responding to reports of a hazardous materials situation at the post office in town, which sent one female worker to the hospital.
According to Department of Energy and Environmental Protection officials, an employee came in contact with a suspicious piece of mail at the post office on Railroad Avenue just before 12:30 p.m. The unidentified woman broke out with a minor rash and had to be taken to William Backus Hospital as a precaution.
The woman has since been released from the hospital.
"They handle mail, delivering mail, sorting parcels, and one possibly touched a parcel or letter. We do not know. And then, a rash came," said Patrick Bernardo for the United States Postal Service. "This could be anything, but we are really taking every extreme to clear the situation."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation along with Plainfield Fire Department, police officers, DEEP officials and hazmat teams immediately responded to the scene.
"We are like a task force with agencies working together to clear the situation," Bernardo said. "And that involves a lot of testing."
Other post office workers were quarantined for several hours during the investigation. Two to four employees came into contact with the substance, officials said.
"We're always over cautious," Bernardo said. "We take every precaution possible to make sure our employees are safe."
Investigators at this time do not know what the substance is and are trying to determine what caused the worker to have a reaction.
However, one person told Eyewitness News a package was delivered to the post office, which broke open and employees smelled an odor initially. The employees then called emergency officials.
"Everyone was hush hush when I first arrived here," the source told Eyewitness News.
The incident is still under investigation.
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Hazmat situation at Plainfield Post Office
