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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 2001)
Capitol’s anthrax scare shuts 12 Senate offices By Martin Merzer & James Kuhnhenn Knight Ridder Newspapers WASHINGTON (KRT) — Hun dreds of Capitol employees submit ted to tests on Tuesday for possible exposure to anthrax — and other lethal diseases — and began taking antibiotics after scientists confirmed that deadly anthrax spores contami nated a Senate office building. Authorities closed 12 Senate of fices and an entire wing of the eight story Hart Senate Office Building pending an inspection of the ventila tion system. Congressional employ ees formed long fines for nasal-swab tests and medication. “Now, we know we are dealing with an actual anthrax situation,” said Lt. Dan Nichols, a spokesman for the Capitol police force. As a further precaution, federal health officials said, congressional employees and others possibly ex posed elsewhere to anthrax were being screened for additional dis eases that might have spread. The anthrax scare reached the Capitol on Monday when an aide to Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D S.D., opened a tainted letter and white powder spilled out. No Capi tol employee has developed symp toms of the disease or tested posi tive for it, police said. No additional cases were report ed in New York or Florida, and the infant son of an ABC News produc er is recovering from an anthrax skin infection. So is a 73-year-old Florida man who has the more dan gerous respiratory version. However, two more people were hospitalized in South Florida and tested for anthrax — an 8-year-old boy with a suspicious skin infec tion and a 23-year-old former intern at American Media Inc., the Boca Raton, Fla., company that first con fronted anthrax. Authorities do not know who sent the anthrax. The strain found in some of the cases was extremely po tent, an indication that those respon sible had access to sophisticated sci entific knowledge and equipment, according to lawmakers briefed by law enforcement officials. In New Jersey, two Trenton-area postal workers who feared they had been exposed to the disease tested negative, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services said. FBI Director Robert Mueller said the FBI had received more than 2,300 reports this month of suspect ed incidents involving anthrax or other dangerous substances, and nearly all were false alarms or fakes. At the State Department, one report Tuesday of suspicious pow der in a bathroom turned out to be a cleanser. Knight Ridder Newspapers correspondents Seth Borenstein in Washington & Tom Avril in Trenton, N.J. contributed to this report. ©2001, Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services. Multicultural Events Wednesday, Oct. 17 Recital: Russian-born pianist Sophia Gilmson performs Bach's famous “Goldberg Variations" on both piano and harpsichord. 8 p.m. Beall Hall. $7 general admission; $4 students and senior citizens. Monday, Oct. 22 Humanities reading: Center for Asian and Pacific Studies presents author Chen Chen reading from “Come Watch the Sun Go Home/' Noon. Browsing Room, Knight Library. Free. Tuesday, Oct. 23 Film series: The 1987 Chinese release “Red Sorghum" is part of the “War!" series of films shown in their original languages with English subtitles. 7 p.m. 122 Pacific. Free. A 16mm Ski & Snowboard film produced by, ■eDOVl Wed, Oct 17th 7:00pm, WIL100 Gear will be raffled off! • HID lighting • Hydroponic supply • Organic soil • Territorial seeds Aqua Serene • Quality merchandise • Great prices • Unbeatable service • Tropical house plant seeds Hydroponics o 2836 W. 11th St. 302-9073 is 11:00-6:00, 7 days/week AQUA SERENE your fish's dream West Coast’s all fish pet shop Salt Water llwkf Red Bellied P»Mh(ftdJ< NW Largest Reef Tank 20 Gat combo $65 50 Gal combo $99 75 Gal combo $245 135 Gal combo $345 <combo includes talk, lid & tight > AQUA SERF.NF. 2836 W. 11th St. 485-2171 introducing.. UO Bookstore Open Thursday evenings 'til 9:00 p.m. stay up past your bedtime and come see... Watercolor Painting with David Goodman FREE! * October I8th * 6-8 pm * Downstairs UNIVERSITY of OREGON ._, BOOKSTORE (541) 346-4331 or log on to www.uobookstore. com r ARE YOU IN THE DORMS? could be your view! Sprint will lease property from Williams Bakery for a 120 foot tall cell tower next to the dorms without students making a stand CALL: ASUO 346-0624 Williams Bakery 485-8211 Eugene City Councilor David Kelly 686-3343 Office of UO President 346-3036
