white powder in the mail is it anthrax? how can you tell? what do you do?
Post on 14-Dec-2015
214 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
What Diseases are Caused by Anthrax?
• Cutaneous– Most common naturally occurring form– Low mortality
• Gastrointestinal– Results from eating contaminated, undercooked meat– Up to 50% mortality if untreated
• Inhalational– Most likely in bioterrorism– High mortality without prompt treatment
Inhalation Anthrax
• Onset of symptoms 2 days up to 60 days post-exposure
• Antibiotics most effective before onset of symptoms
• LD50 about 8000 spores– Infective dose probably less than 10 spores in susceptible persons
History of Anthrax
• Biblical plagues– Fifth and Sixth Plagues in Exodus Believed to
be Anthrax
• Animal disease– Endemic to horses, cows, goats, sheep– Economically important agricultural disease
Natural Incidence of Anthrax
• Most common in temperate agricultural regions– Rare in US– More common in India and southern Africa
• Human infection unusual– 95% is cutaneous– Result of contact with infected animals
Naturally Occurring Human Anthrax
• Endemic in south/central Asia, central America, southern Africa
• Several thousand human cases each year – Always associated with livestock– Often associated with war
• Largest human outbreak
Zimbabwe 1978-1980
Development of Anthrax as a Biological Weapon
• Historical use
• US and UK Development
• Soviet Development
Sverdlovsk Outbreak, 1979
• Spores accidentally released from army microbiology lab
• 96 Infected, 66 Dead
• All victims lived or worked in a narrow band downwind from lab– Human casualties within 4 km– Animal deaths extended to 50 km downwind
Late 1990s: Rising incidence of Mailed Anthrax Hoaxes
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 pre-9/11
US Hoaxes
...the hundreds of anthrax hoaxes involving envelopes filled with harmless powders lack a plausible delivery system and hence are more of a nuisance than a serious danger.
Jonathan Tucker
Toxic Terror: Assessing Terrorist Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons, 2000
The Anthrax Letters
• Five Known Letters to Media and Political Targets– Four letters recovered, mailed on two dates
from Trenton, NJ
• Letters Contained ~1g anthrax– Fine particle size– Treated to Enhance Dispersion
Anthrax Letters: Effects
• Anthrax in Second Mailing– <5 micron size– Escaped through pores in envelopes– Contamination throughout US postal service– Cross-contamination to many other letters
• Most illnesses and all but one death resulted from spores leaking through envelopes
Anthrax Letters: Casualties
• 5 dead from inhalational anthrax
• 17 ill– 11 cutaneous– 6 inhalational
• 10000 people taking antibiotics
• All but few survivors still suffering effects
Anthrax Letters: Effect on Business
• >500 reports of anthrax per day– Investigations– Facility Closures
• Side Effects from Cipro– 57% reported serious side effects– 26% missed work
Anthrax Letters: Cleanup Costs
• AMI Building in Boca Raton remains shuttered
• Clean-up of Hart Senate Office Building cost $41.7 million– Building was closed for three months
• 23 US Postal Service Facilities Contaminated– Clean-up costs estimated at $800 million
Hoaxes and Suspicious Packages Post 9/11
• 2001 before 9/11, 368 incidents, including one simultaneous mailing of 350 letters
• 2001 after 9/11, 7089 hoaxes and other reports of suspicious substances
Hoaxes and Suspicious Packages Post 9/11
• 2001 before 9/11, 368 incidents, including one simultaneous mailing of 350 letters
• 2001 after 9/11, 7089 hoaxes and other reports of suspicious substances 0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
19971998199920002001pre-9/11
2001post9/11
2002
After the Anthrax Mailings, Everything is Taken Seriously
• Any suspicious powder received full response
• FBI director reported that agents responded to over 29,000 reports in the year following the attack
• Practical jokes and powdered sugar merited hazmat crews
• Attacks inspired other hoaxers
Suspicious Powder: Response
• First Responders including hazmat teams and FBI arrive
• Area is evacuated and possibly closed
• Field tests are done– If positive, those exposed are decontaminated
• Suspicious package is sent to CDC-certified lab for testing
Hoaxes Continue Today
• FBI's National Capital Response Squad responds to 5-10 reports per week of suspicious substances in Washington area
• U.S. Capitol Police respond to 3-10 reports per day on Capitol Hill
Washington Post, 13 April 2004
Sometimes the Threat is Real
• Ricin in ‘Fallen Angel’ Letters– Intercepted at mail handling facility Greenville
SC 10/03– Intercepted at White House mail handling
facility Washington DC 11/03
• Ricin in Senator Frist’s Office 2/04– No source letter found
What to do if you see Suspicious Powder
• If parcel is closed, don’t open or shake it
• Isolate area of package or powder
• Turn off fans or ventilation units and shut down the air handling system in the building
• Keep track of who has had contact with the powder
• Call 911
USPS Protective Measures
• Procedures– Off-site handling for potential targets– Irradiation of Government Mail
• Hazardous material detection– BDS in distribution centers– Detects anthrax only– Can potentially be modified to detect other hazards
What Your Company Can Do to Protect Itself
• Establish mail handling procedures• Establish policies in case of discovery of powder
– Include in emergency action plan
• Evaluate risk level• Establish plan for keeping business operating in case of
facility closure– Clean-up plan– Back-ups of important documents
Selected References
• Office of the Surgeon General, US Army Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare. Washington 1997
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emergency Preparedness Website http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/anthrax/index.asp
• Cole, Leonard A. The Anthrax Letters: A Medical Detective Story. Washington: Joseph Henry Press 2003
• Meselson, Matthew et al. “The Sverdlovsk Anthrax Outbreak of 1979” Science, November 18,1994
• Tucker, Jonathan Toxic Terror: Assessing Terrorist Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons Cambridge: Belfer Center 2000
top related