(March 17, 2015) Late Tuesday afternoon, the Postal Service was made aware of a suspicious parcel addressed to the President of the United States (POTUS). Upon opening the package a sealed container containing a liquid was discovered. On-site testing resulted in a presumptive positive finding for cyanide. Further analysis to confirm or refute this preliminary finding now is being conducted in a specially equipped laboratory.
The container was not leaking upon discovery; and the envelope showed no signs that any leakage had occurred previously.
The absence of any signs of leakage is reassuring - indicating that no postal employees were exposed while the envelope passed through the mail system.
If anyone were exposed to enough cyanide to produce adverse health effects, symptoms would be evident within minutes or hours. Symptoms could be minor (e.g., dizziness and headache) or serious (e.g., convulsions and loss of consciousness).
Additional information about Cyanide is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
