County Health Department Evacuated After White Powder Scare

UPDATE 1:20 p.m. Deputy Craig French reports that the powder has been identified as drywall dust. He said there is no threat, and the Health Department office is back open.

The Kendall County Health Department office in Yorkville was evacuated Wednesday morning when an employee found a white powder in an envelope, police said.

According to Deputy Craig French of the Kendall County Sheriff’s Department, police and Bristol-Kendall fireighters responded to the building at 811 W. John St. around 11:15 a.m. for reports of an “unknown white substance” found in an envelope. The building was evacuated and closed for business as a precautionary measure, French said, and remains closed until further notice.

The Health Department is the only office operating out of that building, French said, and no other offices or businesses were evacuated. There are 66 total employees who work in the Health Department building, French said.

The envelope in question was taken from a secured supply area, and removed from the manufacturer’s packaging, French said. It was not delivered by the U.S. Postal Service or any other courier company, he said, and the event was isolated to the Health Department building.

Although the substance remains unidentified, French said, no employees are exhibiting symptoms that would require medical attention, and there is no known threat to the public.