PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -
A powder scare at the Portland VA Medical Center turned out to be a misunderstanding Tuesday morning.
A VA hospital employee opened an internal mail envelope and felt a gritty substance fall out of it. VA Medical Center staff considered the substance suspicious, and officials called 911 to report it.
Nine people were isolated to a room in the main VA Medical Center building during the incident.
Portland hazmat crews started to investigate and learned the employee failed to notice that the envelope was marked "Biohazard" before opening it.
The contents of the envelope consisted of nothing more than medical waste, including some bloody gauze or cotton swabs.
Fire officials said the source of the envelope was not suspicious, and they've closed their investigation.
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