Pentagon Says Live Anthrax Shipments Went To 24 Labs In 11 States, 2 Foreign Countries

[bananas]

Source: Associated Press

The Pentagon says the Army’s mistaken shipments of live anthrax were more widespread than it initially reported.

In a statement issued Friday evening, the department says 24 laboratories in 11 states and two foreign countries – South Korea and Australia – are believed to have received suspect anthrax samples.

The broadening scope of the problem suggests more extensive flaws in procedures used by the Army’s Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. The anthrax samples were supposed to be made fully inert before they were shipped. Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work has ordered a comprehensive review of laboratory procedures associated with inactivating anthrax.

Dugway is located in a desolate stretch of the Utah desert. Chemical weapons have been tested there since the facility opened in 1942.

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Read more: http://www.kurv.com/national/22827

[jtuck004]

1. Has there been that large a terrorist attack with live spores in our history to compare this to?

The saying, "We have met the enemy, and he is us" springs to mind.

[PatrynXX]

2. were more widespread than it initially reported.

think I've heard that for 40 yrs going X_X it's always worse than it's sounds. basic Movie premise. The Stand he this superbug does not exist (Ed Harris)

[Enrique]

3. but there was no human error

according to an Army spokesman quoted in a previous story.

[LiberalArkie]

4. They followed policy and a flowchart. The question is how many other times

has the procedure been flooded to a tee and not discovered? Any time a policy is followed to the letter with no common sense, problems often arise.

[yurbud]

5. then if any crank gets ahold of it and sends it to some politician, it will be a great excuse to

start a war.

[kentuck]

6. They used anthrax threats to get the Patriot Bill passed...?

...and now are using anthrax threats to keep it in place??

[asjr]

7. I sometimes think we probably

all go to bed at night wondering what will hit us when we awaken. It seems there is always something to worry about.

[FlatBaroque]

8. The only thing I worry about are the actions of my government against the people. n/t

[Wilms]

12. I think that's what the poster meant. n/t

[Purveyor]

9. What a bunch of buffoons... One of these days we are all going to pay dearly for our

governments incompetency and I don't care who the fuck is "leading the parade".

Absolutely unacceptable!

[Schmice2]

10. This isn't the half of it.

In the coming days and weeks we will find out that even these numbers will have been a gross under count.

[A Simple Game]

11. This short paragraph is unbelievable.

In a statement issued Friday evening, the department says 24 laboratories in 11 states and two foreign countries – South Korea and Australia – are believed to have received suspect anthrax samples?

The bold is mine. Believed to have received suspect anthrax samples? How can something so deadly be handled is such a nonchalant manner? Suspect anthrax samples is a combination of words that should never occur in a controlled environment unless they are samples collected, never if they are samples being distributed.

Heads should roll but my bet is no one even gets more than a reprimand and a note in their permanent record.