Substance triggers alarm at hospital, home

BERLIN - Hospital officials say a "substance" that temporarily put Virtua-Berlin on lockdown has been determined "nontoxic."

A patient arrived at the hospital about 1 p.m. after opening an envelope and experiencing a "burning sensation on her hands," officials said. Area hazmat teams and other investigators were dispatched to the scene and to a Winslow home.

Initially, officials said a "mysterious white powder" triggered alarm, but the Camden County Prosecutor's Office has since said the envelope contained no substance.

"The woman involved has a history of skin sensitivity to glue, and glue from the envelope is the likely cause of her symptoms," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

After the patient arrived, the hospital isolated her and shut down operations, which have since resumed.

A Virtua spokeswoman, Peggy Leone, said in an e-mail that "all precautions were taken as part of our normal operating procedures."

- Angelo Fichera