[EMED-L] [Hazmat-WMD] Anthrax - When do we worry? (fwd)

[Nomen Nescio]

> I think it's time we started talking about how to evaluate whether or not
> this anthrax business is a big deal or not. Here are some things that would
> make me worry:
> ...
> 3. Brown powder vice white starts showing up. (Anthrax is usually brown.  You
> can find any white powder in any kitchen.)

The latest nytimes.com report describes brown powder:

: The letter postmarked from Trenton, which arrived in a white envelope with
: no return address, contained a brown granular substance, most of which
: was thrown out after it was opened in the offices of the NBC Nightly
: News program on the third floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, officials said.

Someone else at NBC is sick now:

: Several people handled the Trenton letter when it was first received at
: NBC, perhaps as early as Sept. 19, including Erin M. O'Connor, the aide
: to Mr. Brokaw, and another woman, who officials would not identify. That
: woman, they said, has had a fever, a rash and swollen lymph nodes,
: symptoms consistent with anthrax exposure and is being treated with
: antibiotics. Officials are awaiting results on a definitive test for
: anthrax exposure, which should be complete within the next day or two.

The unidentified second woman came into contact with the material:

: It was opened by a clerical employee, the unidentified woman who has
: since fallen ill. NBC's president, Neal Shapiro, said the woman then
: brushed the granular material that spilled from the envelope into a
: trash can near her desk.