The Standish woman who found her mail coated in a gritty white powder last week said a representative from the Scarborough Post Office showed her the beaten plastic rotor that caused all the fuss.

The plastic wheel, which normally rolls mail through the system, had ground down and left a residue on some of the mail. Alicia Merrifield said she was told a similar event happened last Thanksgiving.

“It was a good learning experience for them,” she said, saying the Presumpscot Valley Hazardous Material Team that responded to her 911 call has since alerted the public of the problem and has more practice in case a real disaster occurs.