HAMILTON -- Authorities are at a loss to explain why 13 Hamilton federal employees were sickened Friday by a mysterious, cloying odor that caused them to feel nauseous and dizzy inside a Route 130 postal facility.

UPDATE:

Hamilton mail facility operations back to normal following Hazmat which sickened 13

The Trenton Carrier Annex on the northbound side of Route 130 was evacuated around 9:50 a.m. when the first postal employee affected by the smell briefly passed out. The man, who was not identified, was not seriously injured and quickly regained consciousness, according to Reginald Wade Jr., a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Inspector Service.

Other employees, some who were out delivering mail, also began to feel ill and returned to the facility. All employees were treated at the scene. None were hospitalized and all were in stable condition Friday, Wade said.

Hamilton Hazmat crews swept the large warehouse facility and inspected personal vehicles of some of those affected along with all the mail trucks outside. All test readings came back negative for contaminants and there was no evidence of spills, powders or biohazards, Wade said.

"All biologicals have been ruled out,'' Wade said.

The facility was undergoing a second Hazmat sweep Friday afternoon by State Police Hazmat crews with more sensitive equipment, according to Kelly Yaede.

"I can't stress enough that this is being done out of an abundance of caution,'' Yaede said. "We will leave no stone unturned.''

Parcels and letters at the Route 130 facility had already been screened for biological contaminants before arrival. That safety measure was put in place after the 2001 anthrax attacks that shut down the postal facility less than a mile away on Route 130 south, Wade said.

"We are confident that the mail is safe,'' Wade said.

Yaede said those who complained of dizziness reported smelling a strong, sweet-smelling odor, something akin to maple syrup.

"They said it was almost like they were going to sit down to eat pancakes,'' Yaede said.

But afternoon Friday, officials had no explanation for the smell or why it sickened more than a dozen people.

Mail delivery on Friday was expected to be uninterrupted, Wade said.

Staff writer Mike Davis contributed to this report.

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