Saturday, November 24, 2001
The Associated Press
HAMILTON -- It was down to the wire Friday for husband-to-be Thomas Cramer.
His wedding was just one day away, and the engagement ring for his fiancee was somewhere among the 10 truckloads of mail quarantined at the Hamilton Township postal facility after it was contaminated with anthrax.
On Friday, the post office delivered.
At a ceremony outside the Hamilton facility, Trenton Postmaster Joseph Sautello presented Cramer with the ring -- a gold band with a heart-shaped diamond and two smaller gems. Certified anthrax-free.
Cramer presented it to his fiancee.
"I love it," said Amanda Boone, 23.
"At least it's not going to look like I didn't get her a ring," Cramer said after kissing her.
Cramer, 30, bought the ring at a Hamilton jewelry store, then mailed it to his father in Ohio so Boone wouldn't find it. When Cramer was ready to give her the ring, his father mailed it back -- just in time for anthrax scares to shutter post offices around New Jersey.
"I wasn't sure how quickly they could decontaminate it and get it to me," he said.
Cramer said he told his betrothed about the ring, and even showed her the paperwork to prove he bought it. He approached postal inspectors in late October and asked for help in retrieving the ring.
Once the ring was located, it was sanitized and vacuumed to ensure there was no anthrax on it. Postal Inspector Tony Esposito said he had no worries about delivering it.
The other 500,000 pieces of mail at the Hamilton facility were irradiated last week to kill any possible anthrax bacteria and will be delivered next week. The ring was the first piece of mail delivered from the facility since it closed Oct. 18.
Cramer said the wedding would have still gone on without the ring -- complete with flowers, cake, and wedding bands.
Cramer said he was surprised by the amount of attention the incident has gotten, but that he's proud of his efforts: "I'm just glad I didn't cheap out and get a tiny chip."
Hardy Myers says self-treatments are hoaxes.
PETER WONG
Statesman Journal
November 24
Attorney General Hardy Myers is warning against Internet promoters of products that purport to offer protection against anthrax and other biological and chemical threats.
He said the products are hoaxes.
“Federal experts are aware of no scientific basis for any of the self-treatment alternatives being marketed on the Internet,” Myers said. “The best advice for Oregon consumers is to immediately consult a physician if they believe they may have been exposed to a biological agent.”
No cases of anthrax have turned up in Oregon or the West Coast. Five people have died and others sickened, all on the East Coast.
Myers and attorneys general in 29 other states took part in a coordinated search of Web sites with the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and California Department of Health Services.
The search turned up more than 200 sites marketing products and therapies purporting to prevent, treat or cure anthrax, smallpox and other health hazards. The FTC has told 40 site operators to pull their information, which include marketing of biohazard test kits, mail sterilizers, gas masks and protective suits and homeopathic remedies.
In October, Myers’ consumer protection office took part with others in a narrower search focusing on Internet sales of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, which is a recognized medical treatment for anthrax and skin rashes, and Cipro-related business opportunities.
Myers said people should be wary of Internet promotions of anthrax test kits, potions or pills, curative diets or magnetic, light or electrical devices. “The only known effective treatments for biological agents like anthrax or smallpox are approved prescription drugs and vaccines,” he said.
Peter Wong can be reached at (503) 399-6745