Facebook evacuated four buildings at its Menlo Park, Calif., campus Monday after equipment at the company’s mail-processing facility detected a package that might have contained sarin, a potentially lethal nerve agent, according to reports. Two individuals may have been exposed to sarin but are not currently showing signs or symptoms of exposure, Reuters reported, citing a local fire department official.
Facebook spokesperson Anthony Harrison issued a statement to KABC-TV.
“At 11:00 AM PDT this morning, a package delivered to one of our mailrooms was deemed suspicious. We evacuated four buildings and are conducting a thorough investigation in coordination with local authorities. Authorities have not yet identified the substance found. As of now, three of the evacuated buildings have been cleared for repopulation. The safety of our employees is our top priority, and we will share additional information when it is available.”
It was reported earlier that two employees had been exposed to the toxin, but Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman told the LA Times that no one had come in contact with the chemical. An initial open-air test showed no signs of the sarin compound. It is possible that the detection was a false positive.
Local authorities called in the FBI and the National Guard after the buildings were evacuated. The Bay Area’s ABC 7 reported that after first responders were initially alerted to the potential presence of sarin, a secondary open-air test came back negative for the chemical.
As part of standard procedures, Facebook tests packages sent through its mail facilities for dangerous substances.
