CBRN event in United States of America on Thu 17th October 2024

Three people were briefly hospitalized after a "white powdery substance" exploded in a Colorado home on Tuesday. Arapahoe County deputies say a family found a small container on the front porch of their apartment in around 6:30 p.m. and a "white powdery substance" exploded when they brought it inside, according to an X post. Two hazardous material teams and one bomb team went to the home. "Three people were exposed and were transported to a local hospital as a precaution. None of them appeared to have any serious reaction to the powder," according to the post. The family was back in the home later that night, sheriff's office spokesperson Ginger Delgado shared with USA TODAY on Thursday. Tests done on the powder that night came back inconsistent, according to Delgado. The FBI field office in Denver confirmed to USA TODAY that additional testing of the substance was done at the request of the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office and found "no indication of anything criminal or any danger to the community." The testing done by the FBI Denver office, according to Delgado, revealed that the substance that "exploded" was CS powder, a riot control agent in powder form. CS, also known as tear gas, can cause irritation to the eyes, mouth, throat, lungs, and skin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Incident is 'closed,' sheriff's office says The incident that occurred Tuesday evening shared no connection to any other incidents reported in the area, Delgado said. "It was our first call." It was not immediately clear to the sheriff's office how, or why the container ended up on the front porch, but says the incident is closed.