A strange odor emanating from a package at JFK Airport's post office caused two customs agents to report the package to authorities, causing police and federal agents to respond, according to officials and reported by CNN.
The package was determined to contain beauty supplies, none of which were harmful. The Port Authority police tested the contents and preliminary results tested positive for weapons grade chemicals.
Chemical tests often cause false positives to occur, according to a source at the airport. It isn't believed that the package contained anything dangerous or harmful, and authorities don't believe the package contained any weapons grade chemicals.
The package is believed to contain phosphoric acid, according to a law enforcement official. "Phosphoric acid is a colorless liquid with a syrup consistency used as an acidifying agent to give colas their flavor," CNN said.
Port Authority police and FBI agents in HAZMAT suits arrived at the airport to conduct tests as a precautionary measure. The address the package was being sent to was an unspecified address outside of the United States, according to a source who spoke to CNN.
The FBI response was "out of an abundance of caution," Peter Donald, a spokesman for the FBI in New York, told CNN.
Federal agents had cleared the scene, according to the statement from the FBI on Sunday night. The package was contained within the post office and didn't affect airport operations.
"The FBI screened and tested the employees and the package they opened," the FBI said. "The package in question was determined to be beauty supplies and nothing further."
The two customs agents who reported the smell and who have been identified as Customs and Border Protection employees, felt sick initially, but have since recovered and have declined medical treatment, according to the source at the airport.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
