Suspicious White Powder Found in Harrison Home

A white, powdery, substance a Harrison couple discovered in an envelope while reading their mail drew a response from the Westchester County Hazmat and Bomb Squads as well as the Harrison Fire and Police Departments Sunday morning.

The substance, which tests later revealed wasn't hazardous, was inside of a bank envelope. Homeowners at 536 Harrison Avenue called authorities at about 9:45 a.m. after opening the envelope in their bedroom, said Harrison Fire Chief Dino Del Signore. The couple put the envelope in a Zip-Loc bag and placed it in the garage before driving to Greenwich Hospital as a precaution.

Several emergency vehicles responded and lined Harrison Avenue for most of the morning.

Authorities setup a quarantine station near the home as the county hazmat team tested samples of the substance in the garage. Those tests revealed that the substance was an ingredient of a paper product and not dangerous.

"It was like a paper dust," said Del Signore. "Nothing dangerous at all."

The emergency room at Greenwich Hospital was placed under a lockdown for about four hours while authorities tested the substance in Harrison. Del Signore said responders in Harrison were providing details of their investigation to the hospital and Greenwich Police because they feared the chemical was dangerous.

Once the results came back, the hospital returned to normal and the couple was released. The scene in Harrison was cleared and homeowners were allowed to return by about 2 p.m.

Harrison Police have the envelope and are handling the investigation.

"I've never come across a situation with a paper dust, but that's what it came back as," said Del Signore. "We have the proper training, you do what you have to do and get it done."