White powder scare in Woden

Personally, I blame the cleaners for not doing their job properly.

Anthrax is the usual weapon of choice but cyanide, arsenic and ricen are some others.

The treat can come in several forms.
Biological virus attacks the body and can be deadly. Others can be toxic if inhaled (gases), injested (contaminated food or putting hands in the mouth) or touched and penetrated through the skin.

Spilling chemicals like glue or petrol can also overcome the body in the same way.
“white” powders is just a generic name. until assessed by HAZMAT

p1 said :

< and a pile of Cocaine someone has spilt on the ground is all about intent.

where would i find these piles ?

Ags said :

You should google up what happens to the body when contaminated by white podwers. Not pretty.

*WHICH* white powders? There are many.

It can take hours to comfirm it as a hoax but the consequences of fobbing it off as “just flour” are too deadly.

I was not suggesting that these things be ignored, and I know that somewhere someone has to make a decision about policy on what is a threat.

The difference between something intentionally made to look threatening, and a pile of Cocaine someone has spilt on the ground is all about intent.

PH has had many white powder scares. Most are sent in the mail but some have been found in the public areas. HAZMAT teams deployed onsite always treat each incident as real.
It can take hours to comfirm it as a hoax but the consequences of fobbing it off as “just flour” are too deadly. You should google up what happens to the body when contaminated by white podwers. Not pretty.

Be Alarmed, Not Alert!

There must also be a certain way you have to present the white powder for it to scare people, because if I saw some white powder lying around I really wouldn’t take much notice. Or is it simply I’m not paranoid enough?

So, when these people freak out over the white powder, are they purely reacting to some white powder lying on the ground or a bench top, or is it in an envelope in the mail?

ilmarinen, google is your friend. Probably the easiest place to start is with Wact Hash, which has links to others, under ‘others’.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~richard.hewitt/wact/index2.html

I run with Canberra Hash, which is a small friendly group. The annual mayhem of the Tour de Pisse is on 14 March. Onya bike and join in. As we say, if you’ve got half a mind to hash, that’s all you need.

So how does one find out what HHH get up to around Canberra?

Well, the light from white powder contains all the other colours so it must be more dangerous!

I was going to suggest it may have been the hash house harriers, but we use flour, not sugar. Further explanation probably warranted. We use the hare and hounds concept of one person running ahead laying a trail for others to follow, and flour is often used, as its tree-hugging biodegradable. There have been many hazard alerts on flour trails, particularly in the good old US of A, where the flour has been thought to be powdered anthrax or cocaine. Leaves you wondering who would believe that someone would run around throwing handfuls of cocaine on the ground, but google it. It’s true.

I’ll run away now shall i ? : )

Onya bike then! 🙂

Anyone know yet if it was an intentional hoax, or just someone’s groceries leaking sugar?

Similar event occurred at the Brumbies ground, when police were alerted to a mysterious white powder by the Brumbies players.

On investigation it turned out to be the opposition try line.

I’ll run away now shall i ? : )

The wife sent those extra photos from IP, not sure who took them though.

And why is it we fear white powder more than other more lurid colours?

While phrased in a slightly flippant way, this is a valid question.

If I ever attack a building with biological weapons, I must remember to stain it bright pink.

Its just a “Bring your flour to work” day to boost morale.