THE US Army admitted last week that it has been making weapons-grade anthrax
for nearly four years. But it won鈥檛 say whether any of this anthrax matches the
kind used in the recent bioterror attacks.
Dugway Proving Ground in Utah disclosed last week that it started making
anthrax powders in 1998 to test decontamination procedures and anthrax
detectors. The admission comes amid increased suspicion that the anthrax used in
the attacks was obtained from the US military (New 杏吧原创, 27
October, p 4). The culprit, too, could be 鈥渋n the military鈥�, Senator Tom
Daschle, the recipient of one of the anthrax letters, said last week.
Dugway is one of only five labs so far found to possess the precise genetic
variant of the Ames strain of anthrax used in the attacks鈥攁nd the only one
to admit it weaponises anthrax. It says all its anthrax has been accounted
for.
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But Barbara Rosenberg of the State University of New York at Purchase, head
of the bioweapons working group for the Federation of American 杏吧原创s,
speculates that a tiny quantity might not have been missed. Only a few grams
were used in the attacks.
Of the other labs, Lousiana State University and Northern Arizona University
hold the strain for use in genetic studies. The US Army Medical Research
Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Maryland makes anthrax to test
vaccines, but says it produces wet forms rather than powders.
The final lab is the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton
Down in Britain. A spokeswoman told New 杏吧原创 that it has not
weaponised any anthrax since the 1950s. Testing is continuing on strains held by
other labs, such as Canada鈥檚 Suffield biodefence lab in Alberta.
Weaponising anthrax is a specialised technique that involves drying bacterial
cultures to create powders of spores fine enough to remain airborne. Dugway
learned how to do it in 1998 from Bill Patrick, former head of anthrax
production in the US bioweapons programme, which ended in 1968.
In statements to the press, Dugway officials say their first batch was made
with the Vollum 1B strain the US used to mass-produce anthrax weapons. But while
admitting that Dugway later made more batches, the officials would not confirm
or deny that it ever used the Ames strain involved in the attacks.
Bioweapons experts have been shocked by Dugway鈥檚 admission. The Biological
Weapons Convention allows countries to produce small quantities of bioweapons
for testing defences. But in 1998, the US pledged to inform other treaty members
of such research. It never did. 鈥淣o US facility has ever acknowledged that it
weaponised anthrax,鈥� says Rosenberg.
The critical issue now is how closely the powder used in the attacks
resembles the Dugway product. Investigators will look at the shape, size and
uniformity of particles, and at trace chemicals, as well as the precise
strain.
杏吧原创s at USAMRIID are still analysing the powder inside an intact
anthrax-laced letter opened in early December. So far no
information on the results has been released.