It happens...rarely, but it happens. Berton Rouche has a story in his book "The Medical Detectives" (highly reccomended) about a construction worker who came down with Anthrax and eventually died. Doctors never guessed that's what he had because it is such a rare disease in the US.
Anyway, it turns out he came in contact with some insulation made with horse-hair. The horse hair was infected. All stocks still in warehouses were destroyed but it was better to leave the insulation that was already sinatlled behind walls alone, since tearing it out would have exposed more people.
Now an admittedly rare single case (if indeed that is what this poor guy has) is being blown way out of proportion.