Workers Fumigate Anthrax-Tainted New Jersey Postal Facility

Technicians this weekend completed the fumigation of a Hamilton, N.J, postal facility that became contaminated with anthrax during the 2001 anthrax attacks, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 5).

The decontamination effort, which used chlorine dioxide gas to kill anthrax spores, was completed as planned, said U.S. Postal Service Vice President of Engineering Thomas Day. Over the next two months, technicians will collect more than 3,000 test strips to determine whether the fumigation was successful, he said.

“Our standard is no growth,” Day said. “To meet our standard, every sample must show no growth of anthrax,” he added.

A committee of local, state and federal scientists is expected to make a final determination of the decontamination’s success by February, Day said. The Hamilton facility decontamination effort is expected to cost at least $70 million, he said (Associated Press/WNBC.com, Oct. 27)

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.