A California Apple Store was evacuated on Wednesday, after a dozen people in the store were nauseated by a chemically contaminated package delivered by FedEx.
AppleInsider reports workers from the Del Monte Apple Store in Monterey, Calif. picked up a delivery near a Macy’s Furniture Gallery at around 12:50PM Pacific time. Soon after, a smell from the package began to make people in the store feel sick. Four people, primarily Apple employees, were hospitalized.
Monterey Fire Chief Gaundenz Panholzer told the Monterey Herald that as a precaution, the Apple Store was closed and evacuated.
Once the package was determined to be dangerous, it was dropped into a dumpster at the shopping mall. A nearby P.F. Chang’s location closed their patio seating, but remained open. Officials also blocked off the parking lot near the Macy’s Furniture Gallery.
Chief Panholzer told reporters the package was found to have been contaminated by a clear, liquid, organic peroxide disinfectant used by the regional FedEx distribution center. The chemical can be toxic in higher concentrations.
FedEx says it is cooperating with authorities in the investigation of the cause of the contamination. While the FedEx vehicle that delivered the package made three delivery following the Apple delivery, no other packages appear to have been splashed with the disinfectant.
