Philly Anthrax Scare - Field Postitve and Negative Tests

ABC News ^ | 2/5/2004 | ABC News

[Damocles]

Philly Anthrax Scare

CENTER CITY-February 5, 2004 — City officials and federal officials are at the Windsor Hotel at 17th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where early field tests have shown an envelope found in a room may contain anthrax.

Soemone found an envelope in a 9th floor room of the hotel this morning. That envelope contained a white powder.

The first set of early field tests showed that the substance was anthrax. Another set of early tests showed that is was not anthrax.

More tests are underway.

Phil Goldsmith/City Managing Director: "We are now in the process of doing a series of tests. We don't expect those test to be complete for a good 60 minutes. Until those tests are completed, we can not determine what this powder is."

Officials have stressed to reporters that such field tests often show false positives.

Phil Goldsmith/City Managing Director: "The 9th floor has been isolated. There are 7 people that have been quarantined as a precautionary measure."

Hotel officials are not releasing the names of people who have recently stayed in that hotel room.

(© 2004 WPVI-TV 6. All rights reserved.)

Last Updated: Feb 5, 2004

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[Damocles]

What's with these field tests that they produce so many false positives? What's the point of the field test?

[rhombus]

What's the point of the field test?

Probably trying to be extra safe?

[End Times Sentinel]

Soemone found an envelope in a 9th floor room of the hotel this morning. That envelope contained a white powder.

DAMN!  That was my blow.  Anyone have an idea about how I can get that back?

Owl_Eagle

”Guns Before Butter.”

[eyespysomething]

I hear if you just call the police there, they'll be happy to return it.


;-)

[MineralMan]

Probably this stuff!

[California74]

I dunno - white powder found in an envelope in a 9th floor room of a hotel... Who'da thought anthrax?

have they tested it for Cocaine or meth yet?

[TBall]

There must be some other reason why they think it might be anthrax.

[cajungirl]

Field tests ought to have more false positives than false negs to be on the safe side.

[Sacajaweau]

The Wallingford one was proved false. We can't discount stuff though. But after the Senate Office ricin, I think they're watching to see "HOW WE REACT"...a favorite alqueda tactic. Similar to the dude in the AMI scenario?

Think we're being told very little right now.

[ErnBatavia]

Who's in town playing the Sixers?

[Aggie Mama]

What's the AMI scenario?

[TheBattman]

I can understand having field tests that are super-sensative. IT's generally better to err on the side of caution, than to risk life - BUT -

What other materials could possibly set off a false postive for ANTHRAX?

I do know that some chemical compounds can trigger false positivies for certain chemical agents, but a biological false negative?

[js1138]

Screening tests save time. Better to have a very fast and cheap false positive than have to wait a week for a definitive test.

There are things coming down the road that will change all this. Electronic sniffers that are a hundred times more sensitive than dogs. They can be designed to detect biological, chemical or explosive compounds. They will be cheap and handheld. The bad guys have about five years before citizens will be buying them from Edmund Scientific for $19.95.

[Sacajaweau]

I'm just referring to Stevens, the man who died from Anthrax. His was the first death. I personally believe to this day that it was a walk-in.

They are questioning whether the ricin might be a walk-in.

[California74]

Check out the source link now. They are confirming that it is NOT ANTHRAX. It's baking soda.