A mystery white powder that made 22 workers at a Lenoir recycling plant ill on Monday has not been identified, and the investigation is now closed, the town’s fire chief said. The incident happened in Caldwell County, next door to Watauga County and the Blowing Rock, N.C., area, and officials have deemed it unsuspicious.
The first call to Prime Recycling came in around 10:57 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9, when a caller said a person was struggling to breathe. Responders described a pale powder sitting atop some of the delivered boxes that became airborne when employees started opening them. Plant managers evacuated the building as more employees developed the same symptoms.
Caldwell County officials found 22 patients at the plant, and at least 14 people were taken to UNC Health Caldwell. Prime Recycling said 13 of its workers were sent to the hospital as a precaution and that all of them were released from the emergency room. One worker went to an urgent care in Morganton instead. The Morganton public information officer said people who had been exposed were decontaminated and then taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening problems, which she later described as headaches and nausea.
A hazardous materials team from the Asheville Fire Department tried to identify the powder but could not, because the sample was too small, Lenoir Fire Chief Norman Staines said. He speculated that it was a common household item and said the incident was ruled unsuspicious. Other responders included Caldwell County Emergency Services and Emergency Management, the Asheville Rapid Response Team and agents with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Prime Recycling said it halted work, emptied the building and contacted 911 as soon as employees reported the powder. It suspended its second and third shifts Monday and reopened Tuesday morning after hazmat officials said the site was safe. The company said samples are being tested off-site and that it is reviewing how it receives and handles materials.
The chief said the affected area was cleaned and that the plant had resumed operations by Tuesday at noon. He said the fire department expects to talk with the facility about any precautions that could be taken in the future.