No Toxic Materials Found In State Senator's Office: Reports

LARGO, MD — Authorities in Prince George's County are investigating an incident Tuesday at a Maryland state senator's office, where three people fell ill after being exposed to an unknown substance. A hazardous materials team responded to the scene, but no toxic, suspicious or dangerous substances were found, according to media reports.

A woman who works in the office, in the 1400 block of Mercantile Lane, took a bag out of a trash bin and felt "a sudden rush of something being inhaled," Prince George's Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady told WRC-TV Channel 4. The office is the campaign headquarters of State Sen. C. Anthony Muse.

Initial reports stated that she saw a white powder waft into the air from the trash bin. But officials said no white powder was found, Channel 4 reported.

The woman felt sick; fearing she had inhaled something toxic, she called 911. Two others in the office also said they felt ill.

Paramedics evaluated the three at the scene, and they were conscious and breathing, Brady told Channel 4. They were not taken to a hospital.

The incident came after an Everett, Wash., man was arrested Monday for sending packages packed with explosive materials to several military bases and intelligence facilities in the D.C. area. The FBI believes there could be more packages, and it's working to find all of them and investigate the contents.

Image: Prince George's firefighters hose down a member of the department's hazmat team at the scene of Tuesday night's incident (PGFD).