Springfield firefighters had to put on protective suits and pull out their Geiger counter Sunday after a Litchfield man called the airport and said an item in his bag might have radioactive material.
The incident began about 2:15 p.m., when the man called Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport complaining about a lost bag. During the call, the man stated that if people open the bag, they could regret it because a pair of boots in the bag might have radioactive material on them.
"That was taken as somewhat of a possible threat," said Deputy Division Chief Bob Reside of the Springfield Police Department. "Our hazardous materials team was activated to come out and check the bag."
After checking the bag, firefighters determined there was no radioactive substance on the boots.
The airport was not closed or evacuated during the incident.
Reside said the Litchfield man came to the airport and told police material that might be on his boots was "job related." Reside did not know what the man does for a living but said he had apparently been in the Las Vegas area.
The man declined to comment to The State Journal-Register.
While the fire department was conducting its investigation, the man spent most of the time talking to Springfield police, who had also been called to the airport. He was not arrested.
Tim Franke, director of operations for the Springfield Airport Authority, declined to elaborate on the investigation. He said an official from Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration was at the airport Sunday in connection with the incident.
Federal officials will be handling any follow-up investigation.
"They could recommend criminal charges or civil fines," Franke said.
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