US investigators are continuing to uncover traces of anthrax, with revelations of more tainted rooms at the US Senate office building, where a letter laced with the deadly bacteria was found last month.
The US Capitol Police on Sunday said anthrax traces were discovered in the offices of five senators in the Hart office building: Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, Russell Feingold of Wisconsin, Max Baucus of Montana, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.
"These findings are not unexpected because investigators are continuing to follow the downstream flow of mail within the Senate," the Capitol Police said in a statement.
The new traces are minute and pose minimal health risks, health officials said.
On Saturday, anthrax traces were found in the Hart building offices of senators Larry Craig of Idaho, Bob Graham of Florida and Dianne Feinstein of California, as well as House member Elijah Cummings of Maryland, who worked in the Longworth office building.
Additional test results were expected to come back this week could reveal additional infestation, officials said.
Given the tiny size of the finely-ground anthrax particles in the Daschle letter, officials said they were not surprised to find more evidence of anthrax around the Hart building.
But they also said additional anthrax-laced letters mailed to the building could be responsible for the widening scourge. Many authorities say that the three letters do not explain all the cases, and theorize that other letters or sources of anthrax may exist.
"The environmental and criminal investigation is continuing and the possibility of another letter delivered to the Capitol Complex has not yet been ruled out," the Capitol Police statement added.
Anthrax had previously been discovered in Feingold's office, along with those of Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle, who received an anthrax-laced letter Oct. 15, and three other senators.
An earlier plan to use chlorine dioxide gas to disinfect the Hart building and reopen it today has been abandoned in light of the new discoveries, Capitol Police Lieutenant Dan Nichols said Saturday.
The Hart building was closed and hundreds of workers were tested for anthrax after the letter was discovered in Daschle's office.
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