Thread: Hazmat Scare Closes D.C. Metro Stations

Hazmat Scare Closes D.C. Metro Stations
Several Dead Birds Found After Man Reported Spraying Substance

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2007

Share Two Metro train stations were closed Sunday while hazardous materials crews investigated a number of dead birds and a substance at one that was identified as a commercial rat poison.

The Greenbelt station on the Green Line in suburban Maryland and the Takoma Park station on the Red Line in the city were closed, said Cathy Asato, a spokeswoman for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

There were as many as 20 dead birds outside the Greenbelt station and one to three outside other stations, Asato said. The Anacostia and Naylor Road stations on the Green Line also were affected.

Investigators determined the substance at the Greenbelt station was d-Con rat poison, said District of Columbia Fire and EMS spokesman Alan Etter.

"We suspect very strongly that it's the same chemical at the other stations," Etter said.

He said investigators were looking for a person in a black pickup truck who witnesses saw spraying the material.

"Metro will have to figure out if this person works for them or is a contractor or what," Etter said.

No injuries were reported.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3425931

Dead Birds Shut Down 3 DC Metro Stations
Dead Birds and Suspected Pest Poison Lead DC Metro to Briefly Close 3 Stations
By LUBNA TAKRURI
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON


Three Metro train stations were briefly closed Sunday while hazardous materials crews investigated dozens of dead birds and a substance believed to be a commercial pest poison. No human injuries were reported.

All signs point to a contractor making a mistake, said a spokeswoman for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The poison was spread outside at least six Metro stations.

"We want people to know they weren't in any danger," spokeswoman Candace Smith said.

The FBI's joint terrorism task force and officials from the National Institutes of Health joined the investigation as reports of the dead birds increased during the day.

"They are observing it; they are gathering information," said Alan Etter, District of Columbia fire and EMS spokesman. "There is no indication at this point that this is an attack that has been aimed at people or anything like that."

Information on the substance was preliminary because it had been washed away by wind and rain. Some dead birds were being analyzed, Etter said.

The Greenbelt station in Maryland and the Rhode Island Avenue station in Washington reopened after brief closures, Smith said. The Takoma station was to remain closed until early evening, she said.

Twenty dead birds were found outside the Greenbelt station, 15 at the Branch Avenue station and a few at other stations.

The issue raised public safety concerns because while many of the birds died on the spot, others may have ingested the substance and flown elsewhere, Etter said.

"We don't know how many dead birds are going to be connected to this. The message to the public is if you see a dead bird, don't touch it, and contact the authorities," he said.


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