A white gardening substance found inside a returned book sparked a brief scare and evacuation of the building Wednesday before authorities deemed it non-hazardous.
According to authorities, earlier today the Union Fire Department was dispatched to the Union Public Library after a white powder was found inside a returned book.
Upon arrival, crews determined that five employees had been exposed to the unknown powder and one of the employees was coughing continuously.
The Fire Department immediately secured access points to the building, had the building evacuated, did a complete search of the building and set up a victim tracking coordinator who captured patron’s name as they exited the building.
Officials say the five exposed employees were separated from the rest of the people in the library and were sent to EMS for assessment and vitals.
Union County HazMat was requested to respond and upon their arrival they were equipped with Level B suits with self-contained breathing apparatus and meters. Union Fire Department members were assigned as the rapid intervention crew team for HazMat.
According to authorities, Hazmat Equipment indicated that the unknown product was Adenine Sulphate which HazMat indicated is used in gardening and is not hazardous.
Officials say the book and the bag it was in were discarded and the scene was turned over to Union Police Department to investigate the individual who returned the book.
There were no injuries were reported and five individuals refused medical attention.
The book was a GED prep book.