Trace Amount of Anthrax Spores Identified at NASA HQ Mail Stop – No Public Health Risk

From: MSFC Activity Notice

Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2001 1:45 PM

To: MSFC Activity Notice

Subject: TRACE AMOUNT OF ANTHRAX SPORES IDENTIFIED AT NASA
HEADQUARTERS MAIL STOP – NO PUBLIC HEALTH RISK

TRACE AMOUNT OF ANTHRAX SPORES IDENTIFIED AT NASA HEADQUARTERS MAIL STOP –
NO PUBLIC HEALTH RISK: All Federal buildings in the Washington area that
are downstream from the Brentwood Mail Facility were scheduled by GSA to
be sampled for anthrax under the auspices of the CDC following the
discovery of the anthrax-contaminated letter sent to Congress. On
November 6, samples were gathered at NASA Headquarters. Of the 29 samples
taken at NASA Headquarters, one sample tested positive (reported from the
CDC to Headquarters personnel late on November 19, 2001) for a trace
amount (one small colony which is most likely just a few spores) of
anthrax. Medical expertise indicates that it takes an exposure to at
least a few thousand spores to present a credible health risk to the vast
majority of the population. The CDC position on identification of trace
amounts of anthrax is that no nasal swabs are required and no preventive
antibiotic is recommended. No personnel are being evacuated at
Headquarters. No personnel have reported being sick at Headquarters.
Appropriate decontamination procedures are being put in place for this
single location.

Please understand that medical personnel at Headquarters are staying in
close contact with appropriate CDC personnel. Typing of the spore colony
is ongoing. This typing will identify whether the colony is the
inhalational anthrax or the cutaneous anthrax that you have read about.
All personnel are encouraged to learn all they can about anthrax
(centerwide messages previously sent out give web addresses, etc.). The
CDC and our NASA medical personnel cannot provide anyone with a definitive
spore count at which you are safe or unsafe. Any individual with a
compromised immune system (such as an AIDS patient) could become infected
from exposure to just a few spores; but, the vast majority of the
reasonably healthy population will be unaffected by an exposure to trace
amounts of anthrax. As we learn any more from Headquarters that might
effect you, we will pass on that information.