Al Gore's Anthrax Hoax Case?

A suspicious powder spilled from an envelope opened Tuesday at Al Gore's Nashville office, an incident an FBI agent referred to as an "anthrax hoax case."

"No one has been transported because of medical reasons, and no suspects have been identified," said Jon Stephens, spokesman for the FBI in Nashville. "Right now, we are referring to it as an anthrax hoax case."

Gore spokesman Jano Cabrera said the envelope was received in Monday's mail. It was opened about 12:15 p.m. CDT Tuesday by office manager Mary Patterson and white powder immediately spilled out, Cabrera said. He described the piece of mail as "smaller than a usual envelope."

Gore was on vacation in Northern California, but he was informed of the incident and spoke to the two employees who were in the office, the spokesman said.

A hazardous materials team quarantined the room where the letter was opened and was investigating, said Cabrera, who is based at Gore's Washington area office.

Assistant Chief Kim Lawson with the Nashville Fire Department said material gathered at the office was sent to the state Health Department for testing. As a precaution, the office will be closed for the next 96 hours until the test results are known, she said.

"This call is not a lot different than any other," said Lawson, whose department has responded to about 400 such incidents since Sept. 11. "It's a high profile office. That's what makes this different."

A spokeswoman for the Nashville Fire Department's hazardous materials team didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.

Cabrera said the envelope was postmarked from Tennessee and was stamped on the back with "This letter has not been inspected by the corrections department."

Steve Hayes, Tennessee Department of Correction spokesman, said it is policy to stamp letters that haven't been inspected as being sent from a correctional facility but the wording the department uses is different from what Cabrera said was on the letter.

The office, which opened as Gore's Tennessee base of operations in July 2001, is in the Loew's Vanderbilt Plaza Hotel and Office Complex west of downtown. The building was not evacuated.