'Anthrax' detected in US military mailrooms

Another US postal facility was closed today as concern spread over the detection of anthrax in two military mailrooms.

Hundreds of workers were offered antibiotics as a precaution, although no unusual health problems were reported.

Officials said the mail in question had been irradiated, so any anthrax in it was inert when it triggered alarms at the Pentagon mail facility and another nearby facility in the Virginia suburbs of Washington that handles military mail.

Environmental testing was being conducted on the two military mail facilities and on a third postal facility in the District of Columbia, which was closed today because it may have handled the mail that went to the two military mailrooms.

Antibiotics were offered to some 200 workers at the Washington facility and to workers at the military mailrooms. Hospitals were told to be on the lookout for respiratory problems, rashes or flu-like symptoms that could signal exposure to anthrax, which can be used as a biological weapon.

“This is a prudent course of action. I don’t think there’s cause for alarm or panic or undue worry,” said Dr Gregg Pane, director of the city’s Department of Health.

“We’ve also mobilised our strategic national stockpile so we have enough antibiotics available should the need arise.”

At the White House, spokesman Scott McClellan said President Bush was told of the developments.

“The initial testing came back positive. There was some additional testing that was done and it was inconclusive,” McClellan said.

“We’re still waiting on more definitive results.”

A hazardous materials team was also called to a building occupied by the Internal Revenue Service today after a report of a powdery substance found in a letter.

IRS officials said in a statement later that “initial tests were negative for chemical or biological substances”.

At the Pentagon, officials today corrected information about how anthrax was discovered.

Spokesman Glenn Flood said that a filter from a scanning machine at the Pentagon’s mail-handling facility, not a specific piece of mail, tested positive for anthrax. That filter was removed for testing on Thursday and the positive result came back yesterday, prompting the closure of the facility.

Anthrax can be spread through the air or by skin contact. Officials noted that sometimes anthrax sensors can give false-positive results.