|
U.S. military lab shipped live anthrax
samples to Canada: USA Today
Send a link to a friend
[June 02, 2015]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Live anthrax
samples were shipped to three laboratories in Canada by a U.S. military
lab, USA Today reported on Monday, following disclosures last week that
samples of the bacteria were mistakenly sent to 11 U.S. states and two
other countries.
|
|
 The newspaper cited two Defense Department officials as saying the
samples sent to Canada came from the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah,
where the other samples appear to trace back to as well. It is one
of the U.S. military labs responsible for inactivation and shipping
of biological material.
A Defense Department official said on Monday the Pentagon had
nothing to announce about the anthrax shipments and that the
investigation is continuing.
The U.S. military said on Friday a total of 11 states had received
"suspect samples," as did Australia and a U.S. air base in South
Korea. It ordered a sweeping review of practices meant to inactivate
the potentially deadly bacteria.
 It advised all laboratories for now to stop working with any
"inactive" samples sent from the Defense Department.
To date, the United States has acknowledged that four U.S. civilians
have begun taking preventive measures that usually include the
anthrax vaccine, antibiotics or both.
[to top of second column] |
Twenty-two people at the base in South Korea were also given
precautionary medical measures, although none had shown signs of
exposure.
(Reporting by Peter Cooney; Additional reporting by Phil Stewart;
Editing by Eric Walsh)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
