NATCHEZ — Federal authorities think the vials with liquid in them discovered Thursday morning at the Historic Natchez Foundation were part of a kit to test for the presence of chemical agents, said Natchez Police Chief Cal Green.
“Testing is continuing, but they think what is in the vials is mostly charcoal. If it is a test kit, it would contain a tiny amount of the chemical, but because of how long it has been, the chemical would be inactive,” Green said.
Such test kits were readily available in the 1920s through 1940s, she said.
All roads downtown with the exception of the 100 block of Commerce Street are now open.

The vials were discovered Thursday morning at Historic Natchez Foundation. Markings in the vials led to concerns that they could contain potentially dangerous chemicals. The foundation office was evacuated and a portion of downtown blocked off while a team of Homeland Security investigators were called in to examine the vials.

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