Florida post office evacuated

DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -- About 30 workers were evacuated from a U.S. Postal Services building Tuesday when a worker became sick after handling an open letter.

The 35-year-old male worker became nauseous, dizzy and began sweating at the mail center in Davie.

Field tests came back negative for any biological or chemical agents, but the letter was sealed in an airtight container and sent to a lab for further testing, Broward Fire Rescue spokesman Todd LeDuc said.

The employee left the floor and isolated himself in a restroom. Three other workers who worked nearby also isolated themselves.

Firefighters with the department's hazardous materials team dressed in moonsuits and searched the building.

The four workers were taken to a tent outside the building, had their clothes removed and were scrubbed with a chemical solution. The decontamination process included having their fingernails scraped and their skin scrubbed down.

The four were then taken to a hospital for further evaluation.

Davie is located about 20 miles southwest of Boca Raton, where a tabloid photographer became the nation's first fatality during last year's still unsolved anthrax attacks.

"It's important that we take each one of these seriously and don't become complacent," LeDuc said.