FedEx Package Delivered to Apple Store Contained Hazardous Substance: Officials

Authorities in California say they've figured out what made four Apple store employees so sick that they had to be taken to the hospital, but it's still unclear as to whether illness could strike anyone else.

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The San Jose Mercury News reported that workers at Apple's Monterey, California, location started feeling "dizzy and nauseous" Wednesday after a FedEx truck delivered a package containing organic peroxide, a hazardous chemical.

Someone called 911 and four people were taken to a nearby hospital. Eight more were examined on site, Monterey Fire Chief Gaudenz Panholzer said.

Hazmat crews arrived on the scene to inspect the package and, because of the potential threat, the entire area of the Del Monte Shopping Center was evacuated for more than two hours.

Consumerist reported the substance leaked to the outside of the package and the spill likely occurred in transit. Panholzer told the Monterey Herald that the package was contaminated at a FedEx distribution center, although he did not say which one or if it contaminated other packages within that facility.

Officials still don't know whether any of the packages that were delivered by the same truck might have been affected.

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“There were several packages in the truck, but they are not making any further deliveries since they were made aware of the situation,” Panholzer told the Monterey Herald.

Three more packages from the truck were delivered after those to the Apple store, all of which were in Monterey. It isn't clear how many deliveries proceeded the Apple store drop-off.

Inspectors later disposed of the substance in a dumpster outside a P.F. Chang's restaurant. The patio of the eating establishment was closed as a result but the inside remained open.

A FedEx representative has indicated that the company is working with law enforcement officers to determine how the incident happened and what might have prevented it.

“Our immediate concern is for the well-being of those involved. We are cooperating with authorities investigating the cause of the incident," a company statement read.

(H/T: The Consumerist)

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