Envelope in
Honolulu office
sparks anthrax scare

2 on-site tests were positive;
but a Navy lab test is negative

---

By Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.com

An envelope tested positive for anthrax in downtown Honolulu this morning in two tests but came out negative in more definitive later tests.

U.S. Navy officials said this afternoon that their tests indicate that the letter opened at a downtown office this morning did not contain anthrax.

Officials from Group 70 International, an architectural firm at 925 Bethel St. called fire officials just after 10 a.m. after someone opened an envelope from Saudi Arabia. The envelope, which arrived yesterday, contained a resume, city officials say. The envelope did not contain powder but company officials believed that the texture of the paper was unusual.

The Honolulu Fire Department sent one engine company and an assessment team to the scene. Soon after a hazardous materials unit was also sent.

At 11:21 a.m. fire dispatchers were told a field test on the envelope was positive for anthrax. Fire officials did two more tests-- the second turned up positive but the third was negative.

The envelope and resume were then taken to a Navy lab at Pearl Harbor for further testing, which this afternoon showed no signs of anthrax.

The city had issued an urgent internal email at 11:26 a.m. stating, "Everyone in the city is to stop opening mail immediately. There is a positive identification of anthrax in the downtown area."

A followup email at 12:05 p.m. stated, "There are conflicting reports concerning the presence of anthrax in the downtown area. Please use your discretion as to whether or not to open your mail at this time."

Gov. Ben Cayetano said he was skeptical of the city's testing procedure. "Before we announce any kind of news about this, we get it from a lab that has been certified.

"The only lab that can confirm this with any kind of credibility is the Navy lab, those machines that the city have an error margin that is much too high for me, they are not that reliable."

Group 70 is one of Hawaii's largest architecture firms. The firm's major projects include the Ward Entertainment Center in Kakaako and the Lodge at Koele on Lanai, as well as projects elsewhere in the world, including a luxury hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.