The experts have finally spoken out and as some of us have suspected all
along, it's now obvious that Ridge, CDC officials, and Thompson have been
lying to the public in an attempt to avoid mass panic. It's clearly time to
close down the U.S. mail system immediately.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/25/national/25WEAP.html
October 25, 2001
THE SPORES
Contradicting Some U.S. Officials, 3 Scientists Call Anthrax Powder
High-Grade
By WILLIAM J. BROAD
cientists in and out of government said yesterday that the anthrax strike on
Capitol Hill involved an advanced, highly refined powder that is quite
dangerous and not the primitive form of the germ that some federal officials
have recently described.
Three top scientists � all with experience in germ weapons and knowledge of
the federal investigation � said in interviews yesterday that the powder was
high-grade and in theory capable of inflicting wide casualties.
And, two of the scientists said, the anthrax was altered from its natural
state to reduce its electrostatic charge, a process that prevents small
particles from sticking together and to nearby objects, thus making them
more likely to become airborne.
The experts noted that turning anthrax into a weapon of mass destruction
still required added steps, like making the powder in quantity and learning
how to disseminate it effectively. One expert said that only the United
States, the Soviet Union and Iraq were known to have developed the necessary
technique. But the experts said some officials were playing down the
powder's potency out of ignorance or an impulse to reassure a frightened
public.
Federal officials and weapons experts have given varying descriptions of the
powder in the 10 days since an aide to Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota,
the majority leader, opened a letter containing the anthrax.
Some federal officials have said the germs were an unrefined preparation of
microbes, while others have warned that they were potent and easily turned
into a cloud that could infect many people. Anthrax spores in the powder
contaminated at least 28 people in Senate offices.
None of these people have become sick, but federal investigators said the
Daschle letter may have leaked anthrax in transit from New Jersey and
infected postal workers there and in Washington. Two Washington postal
workers have died of anthrax.
William C. Patrick III, a microbiologist who designed germ weapons for the
United States before President Richard M. Nixon renounced them in 1969, said
he had learned details of the federal inquiry from a senior investigator.
The Senate powder, Mr. Patrick said, was quite potent and capable of sailing
far through the air to hurt many people.
He said the makers of the anthrax spores sent to Mr. Daschle's office had
produced a dry powder that was remarkably free of extraneous material.
"It's high-grade," said Mr. Patrick, who consults widely on making germ
defenses. "It's free flowing. It's electrostatic free. And it's in high
concentration."
Experts on germ weaponry agree that the removal of electrostatic charges is
a major step toward making an effective munition. The Soviet Union and
United States developed sophisticated ways of diminishing this attraction
and helping the particles float more freely, increasing their ease of
dissemination and likelihood of inhalation.
Mr. Patrick said that whoever sent the Daschle letter had clearly achieved
this step. "It's fluffy," he said, quoting experts who examined the powder.
"It appears to have an additive that keeps the spores from clumping."
Removing the charge, he added, is a black art, few details of which are
known publicly.
Assertions by some federal officials that the material was not the type that
would be used in weapons are "nonsense," he said. "The only difference
between this and weapons grade is the size of the production. You can
produce a very good grade of anthrax powder in the lab. The issue is whether
those efforts can be expanded in scale, so you can make large quantities."
Richard Spertzel, a microbiologist and former head of biological inspection
teams in Iraq for the United Nations, said he, too, had talked to federal
investigators about the Senate powder.
"There's no question this is weapons quality," Dr. Spertzel said. "It has
all the characteristics � fine particles and readily dispersible." Particles
must be small to penetrate deep into human lungs, where they can start a
lethal infection.
Al Zelicoff, a physician and expert on biological weapons at the Sandia
National Laboratory in Albuquerque, who is developing a computerized system
to allow epidemiologists to track suspicious disease outbreaks, said his
conversations with federal investigators had alarmed him.
"These people know what they're doing," Dr. Zelicoff said of the anthrax
terrorists. "I'm truly worried. They have the keys to the kingdom."
He cautioned, however, that the federal investigation was continuing and had
produced results that were preliminary, with no firm conclusions.
"But if they have indeed perfected the aerosolization process," Dr. Zelicoff
said of the terrorists, "it's strongly suggested they can do large-scale
dissemination when they wish."
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