What ever became of that scientist they were suspecting of being behind that antrhax attack?
I've often wondered about the general safety of buildings where the only source of "fresh" air is through ventilation systems. Think about it, then try to open a window.
ping
Fascinating case -- virtually certain it was anthrax, yet blood tests didn't detect anthrax.
Could it be that our tests are not sensitive enough, and anthrax can cause serious illness in quantities so small we can't detect them?
Do you remember that old woman in some state where there was no anthrax detected anywhere, yet she died of it?
They went through her mail, etc., couldn't find it.
And wasn't there another case in NY, where they couldn't find where someone got it from?
It sure sounds like we can't detect it in really small quantities.
Also -- how many others may have gotten ill and even died, without it being attributed to anthrax?
Well anyway they apparently treated him better than the victims of the DoD mandatory anthrax shots debacle. We had a guy featured in the Memphis local paper-- used to be the base Fire Chief-- he's in a wheelchair and has been deteriorating in health since his anthrax shots back in '99. Now he can move his left eye and that's it.
Of course they don't know what caused it or the other health problems associated with many other members of his unit-- they just know it's not the anthrax shots.
ping
Good research thread for reference
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3c0301d41783.htm
Freeper Research on Anthrax Profile 11/26/01
Good to see Mr. Shane back on the anthrax story.
Mua, postal thread here.
Bump
What is the True Number of Victims of the Postal Anthrax Attack of 2001?
Tyler C. Cymet, DO, Section Head, Assistant Professor
Gary J. Kerkvliet, MD, Associate Program Director
To the Editor:
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) counts as victims 22 people who were involved in the postal anthrax attack of 2001. We disagree. As scientists it is difficult to accept that fewer than 68 people were harmed in this event. There is no debate that at least 5 people died from inhalational anthrax, 11 people had cutaneous anthrax develop, and 6 people had diagnosed inhalational anthrax and survived. The debate concerns those individuals at the periphery: 38 people at the Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC, and 5 people at the America Media Inc building, Boca Raton, Florida, in whom anthrax was detected by nasal swab. These people were treated with antibiotics for 60 days and offered the anthrax vaccine, which many agreed to receive. Although they were treated like victims, because they did not have symptoms of anthrax, they were never counted as victims of that attack.1
The state of Delaware postal worker who tested positive for anthrax antibodies, but had a rash that appeared different than would be expected from anthrax, therefore was not counted as a victim because the rash was atypical.2 The CDC laboratory technician who had an abrasion while working with anthrax samples from the attack and, subsequently, had cutaneous anthrax develop was not counted as a victim.3 Finally, the US postal inspector in whom "aborted anthrax syndrome" developed after being exposed to large amounts of anthrax and becoming seriously ill was yet another victim not counted in this category.
That totals 68 people.
Bioterrorism affects more people than those who express the worst or classic case of an ensuing illness. Weaponized anthrax is a new illness that is still not understood. If we are to learn from this attack we need to start with an open mind.
Family Medicine Sinai Hospital of Baltimore
Internal Medicine Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland
Sinai Program in General Internal Medicine Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Filters in HVAC in major mailer's facilities are almost never changed.
I can walk into a postal facility and tell you in about 10 seconds if the filters need changed, and that has happened. On the other hand I find it exceedingly uncomfortable to walk into any major mailer's facility due to the dust and mold spores that occur when filters are not changed.
Given the amount of dust generated by processing mail, those filters don't last long, so it's not unreasonable to imagine the Postal Inspector was sicked by both anthrax and several other things, including toxic molds.
People who laugh at the threat posed by clogged filters in large buildings probably have clogged filters. It's one of the symptoms donchaknow!
Biopreparat bump