PORTLAND (AP) – The powdered substance that led to a baggage claim being shut down for nearly six hours at the Portland International Jetport was a mixture of flour and sugar, airport officials said Thursday.

Initial tests were negative for a biological substance and further tests revealed the common ingredients used in a sugar cookie, said Jeff Schultes, airport manager.

Investigators believe someone had the mixture of sugar, flour and organic materials in a plastic bag and that it somehow spilled on the luggage carousel around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. The baggage claim area was reopened at about 6 p.m.

The passenger who was carrying the substance was never located, and it’s not even clear what flight the passenger was on because several flights were arriving at the time the incident occurred, Schultes said.

The substance triggered a response by Portland police and fire departments that involved about 25 emergency personnel including a specially trained hazardous materials and decontamination team from the South Portland Fire Department.

“It went off like clockwork. It was impressive to watch,” said Jeff Monroe, the city’s transportation director.

There were no flight interruptions, and luggage was brought around to the front of the airport during the episode.

“Only in Portland is it small enough that you can pick up your luggage (on the curb),” Portland resident Karen Wadman, who flew in from Washington, D.C., told the Portland Press Herald. “Someplace else, it would be total chaos.”

Before the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and the anthrax scare that followed, the substance likely would have been swept up, Monroe said. Things have changed and there are now protocols for various emergencies.

“Whenever you see something like this you’ve got to act,” Monroe said. “That’s the way life goes.”

—

Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com

AP-ES-11-08-07 1126EST

Copy the Story Link