Palm Beach Fire Rescue investigating reports of white powder at PBIA

Palm Beach Post ^ | 4/7/2014 | Hannah Winston

[Cementjungle]

Palm Beach Fire Rescue is investigating reports of white powder found at Palm Beach International Airport.

Crews were called to the scene just after 10 a.m.

Check back for updates on this breaking news story

[Cementjungle]

Not many details, but I'm guessing Justin Bieber is in town.

[cardinal4]

They have to ask what white powder is in south Florida??

[Fightin Whitey]

Rare to see report of White Power anywhere in the U.S. these days...oh...wait...

lol

[Red Badger]

Snort................yep, it was coke...............

[MeshugeMikey]

sand.....most likely...

[left that other site]

ping

[DBrow]

An “unidentified powder” event is pricey. You must call out guys with the right suits and sometimes guys with a portable PCR and microbio lab.

Hope it’s just powdered wallboard or something. There is probably some reason to suspect trouble, a note, phone call, some clue.

[null and void]

We know it’s not anthrax. Anthrax ain’t white.

[driftdiver]

Suspect was seeing crawling away wearing only a diaper searching for his mommy.

[SargeK]

Pink, tan, brownish - that would get my attention. But chances are you’d never see it because if someone could make the agent, they’d probably find an efficient way to aerosolize and disseminate it.

[null and void]

Cinnamon colored, or so I’m told.

[SargeK]

Could be depending on the growth medium and how cleanly precipitated. Not white anyway.

[Tupelo]

With just a few pounds of talcum powder or baking powder, I could probably shut down the entire USSA. An ounce or so sent to post offices & air ports in ten cities a day for a week or so would probably do the job.
Zero tolerance and fear will someday work to the advantage of a determined foe.

[DBrow]

Opsec!

[null and void]

I believe (and I’m hardly an expert here!) that my only slightly more expert source (a trained first responder) was referring to properly weaponized anthrax: purified, micronized, and surfactant coated for the best possible aerosol dispersion.

[null and void]

It’s not exactly a secret.

[DBrow]

It’s enough of a secret that numbskulls still use white powder.

I suppose it could be ricin or lyophilized variola.

[Cementjungle]

UPDATE: The white powder that sent a hazardous material team to Palm Beach International Airport was deemed non-hazardous, according to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.

[backwoods-engineer]

White powder means white power. RAAAAAAAAAAAACIST talc!