Federal officials suspect that foul play -- rather than an environmental source -- is at the root of two Florida anthrax cases that have left one man dead and hundreds of his co-workers lining up for medical tests.
Officials have been trying to allay fears that the anthrax cases were related to terrorism.
Bob Stevens, a photography editor at the supermarket tabloid, the Sun, died from the rare inhaled form of anthrax last Friday. The concern raised by his death intensified after anthrax was found in the nose of a second employee at the Sun and on an office computer keyboard.
How the bacterium got into the office remains unknown. Federal investigators have eliminated the obvious environmental sources of anthrax, said Barbara Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
The FBI sealed off the building that houses the offices of American Media Inc., which owns the Sun and other supermarket tabloids, including the National Enquirer. More than 500 employees waited for hours to be tested and receive antibiotics.
During the night, a stream of unmarked cars entered the adjoining parking lot, where agents peeled off layers of blue and purple gloves and washed their hands with water from a firetruck.
RSS