The State Hygenic Lab in Des Moines will be testing a suspicious substance found in a letter mailed to the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office. According to the Daily NonPareil, firefighters from Council Bluffs responded to the facility located at 1400 Big Lake Road, at around 1:30-p.m., when a substance described as being white and powdery was found inside  a clear plastic bag that was in a manilla envelope. Officials said that while the envelope had been opened at the Sheriff’s Office, the bag itself remained undamaged.

Because the contents were never exposed to the air, firefighters were able to wear their normal gear and secure the package for shipment to Des Moines for testing. The Sheriff’s Office was not evacuated at any time during the process. It’s not clear when the results of tests on the substance will be made known.