Risk Assessment of Anthrax Threat Letters
Abstract
In recent years an increasing number of letters alleging to contain anthrax have been sent to health clinics, government offices and other locations. While such 'anthrax letter' incidents to date have proven to be hoaxes, all incidents must be treated as real until proven otherwise. Since no experimental studies on which to base a realistic assessment of the threat posed by these 'anthrax letters' could be found, Defence Research Establishment Suffield (DRES) undertook a series of experiments to determine the extent of the hazard. In the experiments, envelopes containing Bacillus globigii spores (a simulant for anthrax) were opened in a mock mail room/office environment. The data measured on the dispersion of the spores were used to estimate if letters containing anthrax spores posed a significant health risk.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA399955
Entities
People
- B. Kournikakis
- B. Parsons
- C. A. Boulet
- M. Spence
- S. J. Armour
Organizations
- Defence Research and Development Canada