Failure of Irradiation Machine Blamed for Mailing of Live Anthrax to South Korea
The Chief of Staff of the Army is blaming a machine failure for the mailing of live anthrax spores to Osan AB:
The Army followed all appropriate procedures, but irradiation might have failed to kill live anthrax spores mailed to labs across the United States and a base in South Korea, Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said Thursday.
Odierno said an investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is focused on why the gamma radiation used by the Army’s Dugway Proving Ground in Utah did not neutralize the spores before they were mailed. He said the Army is not aware of any other cases where irradiation did not work.
The Pentagon said Wednesday that Dugway mailed the spores to be used in training at labs in nine U.S. states as well as Osan Air Base, but there was no threat to the public. Anthrax is a potent biological weapon that is often deadly when inhaled; it was used in mail attacks after 9/11 that killed five people, wounded others and ratcheted up public anxiety over terrorism. [Stars & Stripes]
If you are wondering why anthrax is being mailed to Korea here is the reason:
U.S. Forces Korea said the sample it received was meant to be used in a training lab as part of its Joint Portal and Integrated Threat Recognition program, which is designed to increase biological weapons readiness on the peninsula.
You can read more at the link.
Accident? Are we sure about this? Doesn’t this prove US military’s active germ warfare? I would not even rule out the US military trying to intentionally spread this disease in South Korea.
#1
Anthrax is not an easily human to human infectious disease, unless maybe if you lick the spores off another person’s body.
“unless maybe if you lick the spores off another person’s body.”
That would make for an interesting Penthouse Forum .
If someone really wants to get sick, there are many ways. This “accidental” case was caused by a civil servant wanting to misdirect our attention away from President Momjeans latest selfie or the a revelation from Snowden that Hillary was funded by al Qaeda… Chinese warplans, Putin’s defense of FIFA, and Baltimore blacks escalating the violence against each other was not fitting the White House meme…
BTW, the basic premise was in Lefty Jeremy Rifkin’s book Algeny (1983) that made it to DVD in 2007…
Best for all of you science-deniers to escew technology and go back to scrabbling in the dirt for carrots and potatoes, sez the learned Mr. Rifkin… Because Peak Oil! And science is evil!
Setnaffa, I’m not sure if you’re serious in post #4.
Then comes post #5 where you call out science deniers… That’s neato…
“This “accidental” case was caused by a civil servant wanting to misdirect our attention away…”
I think it’s probably more like a slow news cycle.
I predict a headline story about cyberbullying one of the Kardashians next. Or perhaps the Kardashians cyberbullying. Or, cyberbullying warfare tactics between Kardashians. Kind of like dueling banjos.
Wonder how they conduct send-out tests if they suspect a person has bacillus anthracis. Obviously they can’t grow that anthrax in the Osan lab…it’s live anthrax! But if they send out the samples for testing they’d be SENDING live anthrax through the mail (potentially).
Must be quite a dilemma.
#6, Leon, you gotta read the book to get the joke… Well, maybe more than one book… Rifkin hates all technology and uses “science” to attack science. You OTOH, deny actual science in favor of “science”. Peer-reviewed. Like those fellow travelers who got stuck in Antarctica because the disappearing ice was bigger than it was the year before… If you’re really in Texas I should buy you a seasonally appropriate beverage and a slice of pie… If it stop raining and the highways clear up a bit… 🙂
#7, Liz, no one would know if a government employee wasn’t sent to tell them what to print… http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/13/top-cbs-abc-cnn-execs-all-have-relatives-working-as-advisors-for-white-house/