Fire and Police Officials Establish
Joint Response for Anthrax
Firefighters Find No Anthrax in Three
Separate Incidents
Since Monday, the Federal Way Fire
Department has responded to three instances where powder-like substances were
present. None of the incidents involved
anthrax. In one instance, a white
substance resembling powdered sugar was found on a drinking fountain in a
business office. The substance was
determined to be a cleaning product. In
another instance, a white substance resembling granulated sugar was found in
the restrooms, on a railing and on the leaf of a plant. A third incident involved an envelope
containing a greenish powder.
Fire and police officials urge
residents to be cautious, but to avoid hypervigilence. "We certainly appreciate the heightened
awareness, but it's important not to overreact," said Fire Chief Al
Church. "The worst thing anyone can do is panic and allow fear to overtake
rationale thought. The Federal Way community has highly trained police and fire personnel who are
prepared to handle these types of emergencies."
Standard procedure for a suspicious
envelope or package that might be anthrax would be to avoid shaking or emptying
the contents, then placing the package in a plastic bag or some other type of
container to prevent leakage of the product.
If there is no container, the package should be covered with anything
(clothing, paper, a trash can, etc.), and the cover should be left in place. The room
should be closed off to prevent others from entering. The person discovering the package should
then wash their hands with soap and water to prevent spreading any powder to
the face, make a list of all people who were in the room or area when the
package was discovered, and 9-1-1 should be called.
Anthrax is an acute infectious
disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax most commonly occurs in wild and
domestic lower vertebrates (cattle, sheep, goats, camels, antelopes and other
herbivores), but can also occur in humans when they are exposed to infected
animals or tissue from infected animals.
Further information about anthrax can
be found on the Centers for Disease Control's website at www.cdc.gov.
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