2 Md. Prison Workers Taken To Hospital After Opening Letter

CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) — Two Maryland prison workers were taken to a hospital after opening a letter that officials say was soaked in an unknown liquid.

The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services said in a statement that a mailroom worker and correctional officer at the Western Correctional Institution complained of irritation Friday morning after opening the letter in the facility's administrative building. They were taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Officials say a hazmat team cleared and ventilated the building and retrieved the letter to test the unknown substance.

Normal facility operations resumed within three hours. Department spokesman Gerard Shields said Friday afternoon that the substance had not yet been identified.

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