to confirm that first test result. ricin is easy to make, and a few grains can be lethal when s haled. wyatt andrews reports that the envelope sent to the president and another sent to a u.s. etnator were both intercepted. >> reporter: the letters set off alarms at two complexes in maryland where the u.s. post office intercepts mail addressed dd federal officials. outside those facilities today, hazmat teams checked for ricin contamination. according to the f.b.i., the grtters containing a white granular substance were sent to mississippi senator roger wicker and to president obama. two rounds of preliminary tests suggest the letters contain ricin, a poison than originates in castor beans. however, definitive tests on the letters are still being conducted. white house spokesman jay carney said the president was never in danger. >> materials that are suspicious or substances that are found to be suspicious at remote locations are then sent for secondary and more intense testing, and that process is