A Defense Department lab has accidentally sent live anthrax samples to facilities in nine states that were supposed to receive dead spores, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday.
“There is no known risk to the general public,” Col. Steve Warren said in a statement. “There are no suspected or confirmed cases of anthrax infection in potentially exposed lab workers.”
The Pentagon is investigating the matter in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The transfer, which originated in a lab in Dugway, Utah, “was part of a DoD effort to develop a field-based test to identify biological threats in the environment.
“Out of an abundance of caution, DoD has stopped the shipment of this material from its labs pending completion of the investigation,” Warren said.
The government has confirmed that a lab in Maryland received the live spores, the Associated Press reported. The other labs are in California, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Every sample involved in the investigation will be transferred to CDC for further testing.
This isn’t the first time the federal government has erred. Last year, the CDC inadvertently sent live anthrax to three labs and about 75 staff was unintentionally exposed.
Anthrax can be treated with antibiotics and antitoxins.
Robert King contributed to this report
