By Pepper Fisher

PORT ANGELES — A couple of threatening letters containing suspicious substances, which were sent to elections officials in King and Okanogan Counties, have prompted officials in Clallam County to adopt a new policy for workers here, effective immediately.

The Office of the Secretary of State said Thursday local, state, and federal authorities are investigating the incidents that occurred while election workers were processing ballots from the Aug. 1 primary election.

A suspicious letter received July 31 by the King County Elections office ended up having trace amounts of fentanyl inside after an analysis was done by the United States Postal Inspection Service.

King County Elections officials said the letter arrived in a plain white envelope and was postmarked out of Portland. Then on Wednesday, Aug. 2, the Okanogan County Courthouse was evacuated after the auditor’s office contacted authorities to report receiving an envelope containing an unidentified substance. The contents of that envelope were found to be non-toxic.

As a result, last Friday Clallam County Human Resources Director Rich Sill sent an email to all staff that reads, in part, “Not knowing the extent of this situation as to the remaining counties, and looking through the lens of proactive safety precautions, we are going to implement the following safety procedure for the processing of incoming mail starting immediately. Those tasked with picking up mail for their department need to use protective gloves while obtaining and processing incoming mail.”

The email included this message from County Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry. “Thankfully, fentanyl is very poorly absorbed through the skin and really needs to be ingested in order to cause problems. There is no risk of overdose with just being in the same room with fentanyl powder. Wearing of gloves and good hand hygiene should be adequate to protect anyone handling such mail.”

Sill added that he was inquiring with the Department of Health and Human Services about making NARCAN available within the courthouse.