
Sarin Possibly Discovered in Package at Facebook Mailing Facility - coloneltcb
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Possible-Sarin-Exposure-Facebook-Mailing-Facility-512068541.html
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iamaelephant
> Facebook runs all of its mail and packages through a machine that can detect
> dangerous substances, according to the fire district. That machine notified
> workers that the package in question might contain sarin.

This is very interesting. Is this normal practice at companies of that size?
I've worked for medium-large orgs (3,000 people) and never seen anything like
this.

~~~
packetslave
Google does... or at least they have a central mail-handling warehouse that
"screens" all incoming mail (X-Ray at least, but I wouldn't be surprised if
there are other checks they don't advertise). The threat model for high-
profile companies is pretty wide-ranging -- everything from the shooting at
YouTube HQ to disgruntled or confused people showing up at a random building
lobby and causing trouble.

~~~
the-rc
The Mountain View warehouse is massive, but even "smaller" offices like NYC,
which is not that small, have been screening mail for years. It's not just a
security measure: employees can relocate from one building to another at any
time, so it's just easier for the company to do the final routing. Some places
like the headquarters for Walmart and Mayo Clinic also get their own ZIP code.

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mc32
Facebook is a target of dissent for good reasons. There are good reasons to
protest FB. But hoax threats (and real ones) like these means someone went off
the rails. They are no longer functioning within a socially accepted
framework. It’s unfortunate that opinions can lead people to despicable
actions like these.

~~~
bifrost
I think we as a society have become more agreeable to poor discourse. We have
people screaming at eachother in the street due to percieved differences of
opinions, thats not acceptable.

I'm going to hold out hope that this incident was just a false alarm...

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deftnerd
Sarin breaks down rapidly in the human body into a metabolite called isopropyl
methylphosphonate. IMPA is the first compound for which the laboratories test,
and finding it in a blood, urine or tissue specimen has long been considered
evidence of exposure to sarin.

But that test can be fooled. Isopropyl methylphosphonate is sold commercially
by major chemical companies. And IMPA is not only safe to handle but was found
by the EPA to be harmless when consumed orally at doses of 3,000 parts per
million.

~~~
tgsovlerkhgsel
This finding wasn't in a human body, it was in a package.

Why would equipment for detecting Sarin in packages be testing for a
metabolite?

~~~
whymauri
Common processes for making sarin have diisopropyl methylphosphonate (DIMP) as
a by-product, which is not very deadly[0]. You can buy it on Fisher Scientific
for 30$. Not sure if biochem screens are matching for this compound, but it's
still in the vein of what the parent comment was suggesting.

[0]
[https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=967&tid=203](https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=967&tid=203)

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kabwj
Where does someone who thinks mailing Facebook sarin is a good idea get sarin
from?

~~~
trhway
>A machine at a Facebook mailing facility in Menlo Park alerted employees
Monday that a package might contain sarin

where do one gets such a machine and how one comes with the idea of getting it
in the first place. As an employee of a BigCo. such idea has never crossed my
mind (and we do have our share of angry/frustrated/on-the-verge-of-nervous-
breakdown customers - i mean it is real enterprise software we're dealing in
after all :)

~~~
tgsovlerkhgsel
You'd get a generic chemical trace detection machine primarily to detect mail
bombs, which sounds pretty reasonable when you're any sort of highly visible
company.

Once you're known enough, you will draw the ire of some unstable person
wanting to do bad things to you, no matter what you do.

~~~
elliekelly
> You'd get a generic chemical trace detection machine

Is this what the TSA uses when they swab my dog/my hands? I always assumed it
was to look for a bomb but I’ve never asked because I figured using the “b”
word at the airport would only bring more trouble.

~~~
tricolon
I was once pulled aside for secondary screening by the TSA, and I was so
bewildered that they asked if I'd taken a cab to the airport—and I had. The
agent explained that it's a common cause of false positives like
mine—"residue" gets left behind on the seats. I didn't feel like pressing them
for more details, though.

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Diederich
Yeah, I was having lunch with a friend nearby and noticed, about two hours
ago, a pair of helicopters circling and hovering.

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wlesieutre
Submitted title says "two possibly exposed", but article has been updated to
say that no one was exposed:

 _> No employees have been exposed to the substance, the Menlo Park Fire
District said._

~~~
TallGuyShort
I'm waiting for the update on whether or not it's actually sarin. The article
(rightfully) seems to be hedging at this point and referring only to the fact
that the machine identified it as sarin, but sadly most readers of online news
seem to brush past that...

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slang800
What does Facebook have a mailing facility for? I wasn't aware that they sent
or received a large volume of packages.

~~~
reissbaker
For employees to send and receive packages. Most large companies (at least in
the Bay Area?) have mail facilities.

~~~
slang800
Oh, that's cool. I've never worked in a building big enough to need more than
a couple people in a mailroom to handle that. Also, I guess I've never had my
mail screened for sarin.

~~~
tgsovlerkhgsel
"Mailing facility" doesn't have to mean "warehouse", it can also be "we want
to use more fancy words so we'll call the (large) mail room a mailing
facility".

~~~
tjohns
At the larger bay area companies, it's usually an entire office building
dedicated to nothing but processing mail. Similar to college campuses.

I think "warehouse" is an appropriate term in these cases. :)

