A trip to the mailbox on Wednesday afternoon derailed a Standish woman’s day when she found a white powdery substance on some of the envelopes that may be the result of a mechanical problem at the post office.

“I’m embarrassed by what happened. I didn’t expect all this,” said Alicia Merrifield, 59, of Westwind Road in Standish, while gesturing to the score of emergency vehicles and television news vans at her home off Route 114 near the Sebago town line.

Merrifield said she got her mail on the way to the grocery store and started opening her letters when she got home at about 3:30 p.m. Around the last three letters, she noticed a gritty powder resembling laundry detergent was all over the envelopes. She then felt an itching sensation on her face.

That’s when she called the Standish Post Office and was told to call 911.

John True, coordinator of the Presumpscot Valley Hazmat Team, said the substance tested negative for chemical traces, botulism and anthrax. True said he heard from another rescue worker at the scene that the Standish Post Office has had problems with one of its mail sorting machines as of late. The plastic wheels of the device have been grinding down and leaving a plastic residue on some of the mail.

True said he can’t close the book on what the powder is at the scene and said a sealed container of the substance was being driven Wednesday afternoon to Augusta for further testing, but said the substance may remain unidentified.

After calling 911, Merrifield was told to place all of her clothing in a special bag and soak in the shower for five minutes. She was then taken outside in her bathrobe and was not allowed back in the house for more than two hours while emergency personnel secured the area.

29: The Presumpscot Valley Hasmat Team was out in full force Wednesday, shown here holding a bag containing clothes and mail that belonged to a Standish woman, Alicia Merrifield, who reported suspicious residue on her mail. Staff photo by Michael Hartwell

30: TV news crews were present as the county hazmat team check the community mailbox. Staff photo by Michael Hartwell