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FBI says anthrax at Fla. publisher probably arrived in the mail; letter feared lost
Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2001
 
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AP Photo
A Boca Raton Fire & Resuce Special Operation unit member disposes of materials during the clean-up at the American Media Inc. in Boca Raton, Fla.
By AMANDA RIDDLE
Associated Press Writer

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The anthrax that contaminated a supermarket tabloid building in Florida probably arrived in a letter that was tossed in the trash and burned before investigators looked at it, the FBI said Tuesday.

FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said investigators reached the conclusion after finding anthrax Monday in a Boca Raton postal building that handled mail for tabloid publishing company American Media Inc.

"We don't have a letter, so we're sort of at a disadvantage compared to New York and Washington," she said, referring to anthrax investigations involving two TV networks and the Senate majority leader's office.

The inhaled form of anthrax killed Sun tabloid photo editor Robert Stevens, 63, earlier this month and is believed to have infected a co-worker from the American Media mailroom. Family members said Ernesto Blanco, 73, was doing well and talking with relatives from his hospital bed Tuesday.

Authorities say two letters containing anthrax were sent from Trenton, N.J., on Sept. 18 – one to NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw in New York, the other to the Washington office of Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D. Brokaw's assistant has become infected with the skin form of anthrax, a less serious condition than the Florida cases.

The letters to Daschle and NBC contained similar markings and a similar, threatening message, according to people speaking on condition of anonymity who attended a briefing authorities gave to senators.

Postal inspectors say the letters could have started at any of 46 mail facilities before arriving at the Trenton post office, where two employees were cleared by health authorities Tuesday of having anthrax.

Authorities also said Tuesday that three letters mentioning anthrax were mailed to Brokaw, including the one tainted with the germ. That letter was addressed by hand, and the envelope had "distinguishing characteristics," a state source familiar with the FBI investigation said on condition of anonymity.

The second Brokaw letter, postmarked Sept. 20 from St. Petersburg, Fla., contained a powdery substance but tested negative for anthrax. The third letter was mailed Sept. 18 by a New Jersey Statehouse secretary who found it inside a Federal Express package sent to the governor's office.

State government sources said the secretary threw out the FedEx envelope. Authorities are now trying to determine where the FedEx package came from.

In Florida, Blanco was recovering after surgery to insert tubes into his lungs to drain a buildup of fluid. Family members said he was in intensive care at Cedars Medical Center in Miami.

Blanco occasionally made trips to the Boca Raton mail sorting facility where a very small amount of anthrax was found in a non-public area that has since been cleaned up and reopened.

"Everything's back to normal. We're back in business," said Paul Counts, who sorts mail in the back room.

Postal workers who had come in contact with American Media mail have been given nasal swabs that came back negative for anthrax, postal inspectors said. Thirty-one are taking antibiotics as a precaution.

Meanwhile, American Media spokeswoman Marcia Horowitz said the company will look for office space elsewhere in Florida because employees are reluctant to go back into the Boca Raton building. The building has been closed for more than a week as the FBI investigates; one employee has tested positive for exposure and five others are awaiting test results confirming that they, too, have been exposed.

Horowitz said chief executive David Pecker made the decision to move after consulting with some of the 300 employees who work there.

"They are doing it to be sensitive to the emotional well-being of the employees," she said.

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On the Net:

CDC: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/anthrax_g.htm
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