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Pentagon Anthrax Scare Leads to Response Changes

Global Security Newswire

The U.S. Defense Department is making changes to its biological hazard response plans in the wake of the anthrax scares of March 2005, the American Forces Press Service reported Friday (see GSN, April 14, 2005).


An independent laboratory on March 14, 2004, alerted the Pentagon's mail screening contractor that samples taken March 10 had tested positive for anthrax. However, mail from that day was incorrectly approved for distribution.

Mail at a Defense Department mail facility in Fairfax County, Va., was placed in a biocabinet. However, the amount of mail in the cabinet blocked airflow and caused an alarm to sound. That was mistakenly believed to be indicating the presence of anthrax, according to Ellen Embrey, deputy assistant defense secretary for force health protection and readiness.

On March 18, a testing system indicated that anthrax was present at the Defense Intelligence Agency mailroom at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington.

Additional testing determined that there was no anthrax in any of the facilities.

A report by the RAND Corp. found that: the Pentagon Remote Delivery Facility ensured that personnel were separated from the threat; the Defense Department correctly notified other agencies of the incident which led to quick decisions on treating the public health issues and those potentially exposed to anthrax; and conducted a strong public health response to the incidents.

The Pentagon identified, screened, treated and offered counseling workers who might have been exposed to the agent, Embrey said. More than 800 people had been tested by March 17.

"Once we were notified that anthrax was detected in the Pentagon mail sample, the first concern was the health and safety of those who may have been exposed," Embrey said.

The primary area for improvement identified by the report was is the speed and coordination of notification, said Michael Donley, administration and management director for the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

"Especially in the Washington area, where there are multiple agency and interagency partners, we need to work harder at the process by which all the necessary folks get contacted in the appropriate timeliness," he said.

The Pentagon is preparing guidelines for notification procedures and incident command, Donley said. Incident command is to include operations, logistics, communications and public affairs.

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department, Arlington County public health and other relevant agencies would receive earlier notification in the event of a positive or seemingly positive finding, Embrey said.

New rules should require three organizations to certify that mail is free of weapons agents before it can be released, Donley said. Defense Department officials hope that will prevent mail from being delivered before it is proven safe, AFPS reported.

Pentagon mail facilities were rebuilt to better contain threats, Donley said (Sara Wood, American Forces Press Service/U.S. Defense Department, March 24).

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