Another famous false statement from Ed Lake's playbook. That they ASSUMED it was silica is simply an argument invented by Ed Lake which he propogates with religious fervor all across the internet. He seems to think that if he puts this on the internet often enough, it might become true. Detrick saw an unidentified material on the anthrax spores after performing SEM. They sent it to AFIP to identify that unidentified material. AFIP identified the material as SILICA. It's all stated quite clearly in AFIP's report. They even showed a SEM/EDX of the silica reference sample they used to prove the unidentified substance was silica. That picture is shown below.
When US Army investigators at Ft Detrick, Md, examined anthrax found in a letter sent to Sen. Thomas Daschle last fall, they discovered that the highly refined spores floated in the air, making them much easier for potential victims to inhale. What made this anthrax so easily aerosolized? A series of sophisticated tests revealed some clues, but the presence of another unidentifiable substance left the investigation incomplete. That’s when Ft Detrick contacted AFIP’s Department of Environmental and Toxicologic Pathology for assistance.
"Ft Detrick sought our assistance to determine the specific components of the anthrax found in the Daschle letter," said Florabel G. Mullick, MD, ScD, SES, AFIP Principal Deputy Director and department chair. AFIP experts utilized an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (an instrument used to detect the presence of otherwise-unseen chemicals through characteristic wavelengths of X-ray light) to confirm the previously unidentifiable substance as silica. "This was a key component," Mullick said. "Silica prevents the anthrax from aggregating, making it easier to aerosolize.