Bolingbrook police lobby reopens after hazardous materials investigation

The lobby at the Bolingbrook Police Department has reopened after an investigation into a potentially poisonous substance brought to the station Monday afternoon.

The FBI has taken custody of the liquid to further analyze it, according to an updated news release.

Bolingbrook and Naperville firefighters tested it and determined it did not pose an immediate threat.

Police said a woman and two men turned in a liquid around 2:15 p.m. The Bolingbrook Fire Department responded.

The lobby was closed until midmorning Tuesday, and workers that had contact with the substance were quarantined. So far, no one has reported any symptoms or required treatment.

There is no danger to the public, police said.

According to Broadcastify.com, which monitors police and fire radio dispatches, there was a dispatch at 10:22 p.m. Monday that the substance may have contained ricin. Bolingbrook police could not be immediately reached to confirm that.

The substance is a poison found naturally in castor beans and can be made from the waste material left over from processing the beans into castor oil, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It can be invested through the skin, by inhalation, by injection or by consumption. It gets inside cells and prevents them from making proteins. There is no antidote; victims are treated with supportive care.

Police ask anyone with information to call the Investigations Division at (630) 226-8620 or Crime Stoppers at (630) 378-4772. Tips also may be submitted to bolingbrookcrimestoppers.org.