A Hazardous Materials Response Team responded to a report of a white powdery substance on a returned DVD at Blockbuster Video in Hadley, Mass.

Hadley Police received the report at 12:19 p.m. Chief Dennis Hukowicz of the Hadley Police Department was on the scene, but declined to comment. Engine Two of the Hadley Fire Department responded, but referred all questions to the Department of Fire Services.

The District Four HazMat team was dispatched at 12:36 p.m. to 442 Russell St store. The area immediately in front of the store was cordoned off and the store was evacuated. Two team members, in protective suits, went into the store and took out the DVD and other movies that came in contact with the powder. The areas were then cleaned with a bleach and water solution.

“These guys received a DVD that had a white powder on it,” Wayne LeMay, the team leader, said. “We suited up and went in, took the DVD in question. It could be anything.”

According to LeMay, the team was in the store for 20 minutes.

If the substance does prove to be anthrax, the bleach and water solution used to clean the area would destroy the bacteria, LeMay said.

“It’ll kill it,” LeMay said. “These are the guidelines the state’s Health Department have laid out.”

Reports of suspected anthrax have been on the rise since cases were confirmed in Washington DC and New York.

“There’s been no confirmed cases in Massachusetts, at least not to my knowledge,” LeMay said. “We respond to four to nine or 10 of these kinds of calls every day. This is the first in this area.”

The tapes and discs seized will be sent to a state lab, where they will be tested. The tests take 72 hours.

“These all potentially came in contact with the substance,” a team member said as he placed an orange “biohazard” sticker on a large bag of videos. “They’ll be held in a secure area until the results of the test, and then returned.”

“We’re trying to get a hold of the person who rented the movie from the computer,” LeMay said. “They could end this all right now.”

But right now, LeMay said, the Department of Health is taking precautionary measures.

“This is just a precaution,” LeMay said. “It could be anything.”

“I think its probably a joke, especially in this area,” Angela, an employee at neighboring Radio Shack. “Blockbuster just isn’t important enough.”

Stop ‘ Shop, which also neighbors Blockbuster, was told that there was nothing to worry about.

“They [the firefighters] didn’t tell us anything,” Bob Jones, a manager, said. “They said it wasn’t a problem.”

Employees at Blockbuster Video declined to comment.

Randy Hargrove, a Blockbuster spokesman, said that the Dallas, Texas based company is taking this very seriously.

“At this point the tape is being cleaned and the store has been cleared to open by the local authorities,” Hargrove said. “We consider this a very serious matter.

“If someone is tampering with videos, it’s a senseless act. We can track who rented our video,” Hargrove added. “If we find we’ve been the victim of a hoax, we will resort to legal action to protect ourselves. We are going to work with the authorities.”

This is not the first time a suspicious white powder has appeared at a Blockbuster. So far, all have tested negative for anthrax.

“There have been a few incidents,” Hargrove said. “But it’s not widespread.”