Contradicting Some U.S. Officials, 3 Scientists Call Anthrax Powder High-Grade — “Scientists in and out of government said
yesterday that the anthrax strike on Capitol
Hill involved an advanced, highly refined
powder that is quite dangerous and not the
primitive form of the germ that some federal
officials have recently described.”
Assertions by some federal officials that the material was not the type that would be used in weapons are
“nonsense,” (one) said. “The only difference between this and weapons grade is the size of the production.
You can produce a very good grade of anthrax powder in the lab. The issue is whether those efforts can
be expanded in scale, so you can make large quantities.”Richard Spertzel, a microbiologist and former head of biological inspection teams in Iraq for the United
Nations, said he, too, had talked to federal investigators about the Senate powder.“There’s no question this is weapons quality,” Spertzel said. “It has all the characteristics — fine
particles and readily dispersible.” Particles must be small to penetrate deep into human lungs, where they
can start a lethal infection.NY Times [“FMHreader”, “FMHreader”]
