USA: U.S. health building presumed positive for anthrax. (HHS has Anthrax)

Reuters English News Service ^ | 12:54 ET , October 29, 2001 | Reuters English News Service

[TheOtherOne]

USA: U.S. health building presumed positive for anthrax.

12:54 ET
Reuters English News Service
(C) Reuters Limited 2001.

WASHINGTON, Oct 29 (Reuters) - A Department of Health and Human Services building has tested "presumptively positive" for anthrax, Secretary Tommy Thompson said on Monday.

The mailrooms at the Cohen building, which houses offices of the Food and Drug Administration, the Voice of America and other agencies, have been closed and mailroom workers are being given antibiotics, Thompson said at a news briefing.

"The Cohen building has been presumptively positively tested for anthrax over the past couple days," Thompson said.

Thompson said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting additional tests to confirm whether samples recovered were anthrax, the potentially deadly bacteria that has killed three people in the United States since early October. He said results would be available in 24 to 48 hours.

[Woodstock]

No, not likely. HAZMAT is something I know a bit about. It is a very thorough process. Everything is disposed of as the process of collection and decontamination is continued. No…there is a new source of Anthrax that has yet to discovered. I can think of a few. Hope the FBI is looking to them. We do need to clear up the Anthrax issue and it will lead to Iraq. But before we do anything, we need to complete about 5 years of preparedness in less than 12 months. That’s my theory.

[concerned about politics]

Republicans are against the federalizing the screeners but Democrats favor it.

So what else is new? The democraps answer to everything is to throw money and political power at it. If Gore had won, we'd be paying Bin Ladin millions to stop him from being so "mean spirited."

I think any building tested with a Q-tip would show anthrax. It's a natural in nature. Animals die from it every year.

[goodnesswins]

"I think any building tested with a Q-tip would show anthrax. It's a natural in nature. Animals die from it every year."

I've thought that very thought over the last couple of weeks....wonder how much anthrax would have been found BEFORE 9-11 in some of these buildings? I wonder if they are finding a considerable amount, or just a trace? Or lots of traces?

[goodnesswins]

Thanks for that info...

[pepsionice]

Why are we still playing this letter game? It is quiet obvious that it would take a ton of anthrax letters to spread like this on the national mail system in DC. We aren't talking about a measly 4 or 5 letters to do all of this. It would take a huge amount...well over 200 letters, perhaps even over 500...to make this much contamination. Lets step back for a second. Who benifits the most from this type situation and how would they accomplish such a major task? Bin Laden's boys could do this...but this would take a lot of work and effort. I think we should start looking in other directions.

[sistergoldenhair]

Probably not the HAZMAT crews, but minute amounts might be being spread by people walking around. It's time to put some (or more) contamination control measures in place. The amount of antrax could indeed be very small- not of any medical concern. I don't know much about the tests being performed.