Packet of powder left at Army post tested for anthrax

By Megan Scott, The Associated Press, Posted February 23 2002

Sun-Sentinel Link

ATLANTA · Civilian workers at U.S. Army Reserve Command headquarters found a bag containing white powder Friday, and initial field tests indicated anthrax, officials said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was conducting further tests. Security on the post was increased and the building was locked down for five hours, but the 200 people inside were later allowed to leave.

Initial tests that indicate anthrax often can be inaccurate. "Those field tests have a lot of false positives," said Lisa Swenarski, a CDC spokeswoman. Conclusive tests could take up to 24 hours.

The five civilians who found the packet and two civilians from the fire department who responded were showered at the fort, said Col. Guy Shields, a fort spokesman.

They were sent to a hospital for further examination, said Joe Handley, spokesman for Army Reserve Command at Fort McPherson.

Handley said the packet was a clear bag, like a sandwich bag, with the powder inside.

The people who found the packet were not mailroom employees, said Shields, who would not say where it was found.

Handley said most of the military workers in the building have been inoculated with the anthrax vaccine, but not the civilians.

About 1,000 people work in the building, Handley said.

Copyright © 2002, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

-- Anonymous, February 23, 2002