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MDEQ says white substance not from IP . By Emily Whitten The Natchez Democrat Published Monday, November 05, 2001 12:43 AM CST NATCHEZ -- A white powdery substance found at the U.S. Coast Guard station south of Natchez earlier this month did not originate from International Paper's Natchez mill. Eric Dear, chief of emergency services for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) said Friday that the substance contained aluminum. This is not a substance that a paper mill typically uses in its operations, officials said. Alison Abernathy, spokesperson for International Paper, said that employees at the Natchez mill were also told that the substance was high in aluminum. She agreed that this made the mill an impossible source. "Mill management reports that there would be no likely source of a releasable material from the IP mill that was high in aluminum," Abernathy said in a written statement. If any aluminum was present, it would just be a trace that could be found anywhere in the environment, said David Lee, chief of the timber branch for the compliance division of the MDEQ. State officials said that they might never know the exact source of the substance. Their primary objective was to make sure that the substance was not harmful. "If they don't appear to be harmful that's kind of where we leave it," Dear said.   Sound off on this article in The Democrat forums, plus see what other readers have to say: Post a comment Letters: Send your commentary to The Natchez Democrat. News tips: Have a story or tip for our staff? Subscribe: Get The Natchez Democrat delivered to your door or mailbox.     © 2001 Natchez Newspapers Inc. All rights reserved.