UPS workers at the Berkeley County Distribution Center were evacuated Thursday morning from the premises after two employees led investigators to a suspicious package. The Lowcountry Cobra Team, the Charleston Air Force Base Cobra Team and other local law enforcement agencies searched the Summerville-based UPS Distribution Center and found a white and yellow powder substance on the floor inside of a trailer. DHEC spokesperson, Thom Berry had this to say, “it appears that the material that may have been involved may be calcium phosphate dibasic.
“This is a material that has a lot of different uses; it’s used as a food supplement, it’s used as a cattle feed supplement, it’s used in the manufacturer of fertilizer, it’s a stablilizer for plastic. It has the ability to cause some burning to the eyes and possible a lung irritation.”
That’s exactly what it did to two UPS employees that were transported to The Trident Medical Center in North Charleston after they complained about burning eyes and breathing difficulties. Both employees are now in better condition. Berry says nothing was found inside of the UPS building, so employees are back to work. No word on where the package the material came out of was going.