Traces of anthrax found in more US Senate offices
Date: 13-Nov-01
Country: USA
Environmental tests found minimal amounts of anthrax in the offices of Democratic Senators Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Max Baucus of Montana and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and Republican Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, police said in a statement.
"These findings are not unexpected because investigators are continuing to follow the downstream flow of mail within the Senate and it is believed that letters delivered to these offices were cross-contaminated by the Daschle letter," the statement said.
The Hart building has been closed since Oct. 17, two days after discovery of the anthrax-laced letter mailed to Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat. Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that another letter containing anthrax may have been sent to the U.S. Capitol.
There have been 17 confirmed cases of anthrax in the United States since early October, including 10 cases of inhalation anthrax. Four people, including two Washington postal workers, have died after inhaling spores from contaminated letters mailed following the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington that killed more than 4,500 people.
Capitol physician, Dr. John Eisold, said the minimal amount of anthrax in the latest findings did not pose a health risk and no medical testing or antibiotic was recommended for people in those offices, according to the statement.
