posted on October 22, 2001 10:30:59 AM new
I just saw this posted on the Boston.com website:
"BREAKING NEWS: Two postal workers at the Brentwood mail facility in Washington, D.C., have died, presumably of inhalation anthrax. Another postal worker is ill with inhalation anthrax, health officials said."
posted on October 22, 2001 11:30:48 AM new
Such goes the CDC's claims that you would have to take a real deep breath of the spores in order to contract inhalation anthrax.
posted on October 22, 2001 12:00:19 PM new
So, how long until someone unaffiliated with the post office, media, or government comes down with anthrax? These people touched a lot of mail. The anthrax mail was in bins with lots of other mail, being sent all over. Not to be alarmist, but geez....
posted on October 22, 2001 01:01:50 PM new
RainyBear
There are litterally thousands of postal workers who work with mail all day long 5 days per week. They probably handle thousands of letters every day. If the machines are infected, then some of them would be exposed over and over again throughout the day. How many have become ill so far? I'm actually surprised that more of them haven't become ill.
Now, if so few postal workers have become ill with their continuous exposure to the mail, what are the odds that other non-targeted individuals will receive enough exposure to become ill? It may happen but I would think the odds are pretty low.
[ edited by outoftheblue on Oct 22, 2001 01:04 PM ]
posted on October 22, 2001 02:35:43 PM new
"If the machines are infected, then some of them would be exposed over and over again throughout the day"
That doesn't sound right to me. If you had a pipe going into the machine, pumping a steady steam of anthrax through it all day long, then you'd be exposed over and over again, all day long. But if it's X number of spores, once those X number are picked up by someone else, by attaching themselves to someone's skin, inhaled, etc., then no one else is going to get exposed from the machine.
So the exposure that's resulting in these illnesses/deaths isn't the infinite exposure in outoftheblue's scenario, but a finite exposure. And, for how hard they've been saying it is to get it, it sure seems like more people are getting it than you'd have thought.
So I think it's a lot easier to contract than they've thought/have been letting on.
posted on October 22, 2001 02:41:12 PM new
Actually I was considering the scenario that the mail was exposed to the machines where the spores are located and handled by postal workers. For a few days or weeks there could be repeat exposure. In fact if there's not a chance of repeat exposure why would they decontaminate infected surfaces?
In any case, if it is easy to contract, I'm surprised that we aren't seeing hundreds of people with symptoms, instead the few that have become sick so far.
[ edited by outoftheblue on Oct 22, 2001 02:55 PM ]
posted on October 22, 2001 04:23:56 PM new
Is this accurate?
(1) If an envelope containing Anthrax had a little rip in it, thereby Anthrax powder would be spilled on many of the envelopes in the same bag. Those envelopes would be sorted and sent to many places throughout the world. They would then touch other envelopes and other sorting machines and on and on, until the Anthrax is distributed down to the last spore--right? Is this a scientific possibility, or just a hysterical one?
(2) If this scenario is an accurate one, shouldn't those of us who buy and sell through the mail be greatly concerned?
posted on October 22, 2001 04:37:20 PM new
What I want to know is how many people normaly get anthrax in a year?I feel this is the medias fault.How long after the WTC did they start going on about anthrax? Some nuts only need a suggestion to get things going.Now the media is starting up about smallpox. I get so tired of all the news stations speculating about what may happen next.Sometimes they are our worst enemy.Dont get me wrong I feel terrible about the people who have contracted this,but I think this was an "inside"job.
posted on October 22, 2001 05:02:23 PM new
Joycel, I think you are right (#1).
They said on the news tonight that it was a possibility that putting the letters thru the machines could release the spores thru the seams which are not always sealed tightly.
Since there is anywhere from a few days to 2 weeks time from exposure to illness, this could get really scary!
posted on October 22, 2001 05:30:50 PM new
All I know is I usually shred the envelopes from the mail but now I am cutting them open with scissors on a piece of newspaper and removing the mail to one side - I put the envelopes in the trash whole with out shredding them or needlessly waving them about to dislodge anything clinging or doing any needless handling and washing my hands and clean my hands and the table with a disinfecting fluid when I am done.
If I get anything strange it will go in a 2 gallon zip seal plastic bag unopened with a cheap razor knife and I will open it from outside through sealed bag. If I have any doubts about it it stays in the bag and goes in the dumpster. If it had a visable powder it would go to the fire department still sealed up. Why expose a bunch of safety workers if you find something?
posted on October 22, 2001 05:55:12 PM newIf this scenario is an accurate one, shouldn't those of us who buy and sell through the mail be greatly concerned?
If it's true, anyone who gets a bank statement, Electric bill, or whatever...
posted on October 22, 2001 06:14:11 PM new
I believe they said on the news today that 2,000 postal workers were being tested.
The problem lies with this particular strain; it's pure 100% military grade which kills rapidly.
Anthrax is normally a natural substance found in soil. It's usually transmitted through cattle and wildlife. Cattle farmers innoculate their cattle and that depends on weather conditions. If someone eats a piece of meat that is undercooked and contains anthrax the person can get intestinal anthrax, which could be fatal.
We have vaccines that can prevent anthrax, but it's only for military use at present.
posted on October 23, 2001 04:12:03 AM new
Out of the blue,
The Florida ones happened nearly a month ago. The Washington ones were much more recent.
The CDC said there was nothing to worry about until 2 postal workers entered hospitals and almost immediately died.
I believe these idiots are sitting back watching to see what works and what doesn't. Who knows what kind of spores or bacteria they will try next or what means they decide to use.
It's a known fact trumpeted on the media often that it is very easy to obtain bacteria in foreign countries including our neighboring Mexico.
If that's paranoia, so be it! I think we have to be awake and aware of future acts so that we can fight then fast and rationally and not panic.
posted on October 23, 2001 05:47:29 AM new
The problem is that all the data the CDC has about how this organism vectors is from natural sources. Goat hair - infected animals - contaiminated earth. Not deliberate transmission.
If you think the military will be sharing information with them from their expertice in bio warfare you are dreaming.
The military automatically does not share information on something like this with anyone, and if a few people die well big hairy deal that is small price to pay for safeguarding what they consider classified info.
"I believe these idiots are sitting back watching to see what works and what doesn't."
You may be right. They may be making this up as they go along...
What do we know for sure? The only thing we know, we get from different media sources and there is a lot of contradicting stories. Which ones are you going to believe?
The only thing we can do is wait and see what happens. If hundreds of people get sick and die, it will be scarry. The next few weeks should be interesting..
[ edited by outoftheblue on Oct 23, 2001 09:31 AM ]
