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CNN Live Event/Special

Dan Nichols Holds Press Conference

Aired November 10, 2001 - 18:33   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JONATHAN MANN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to go to Capitol Hill now for a news conference about the latest findings of anthrax in the Hart Senate Office Building and elsewhere.

Let's listen in to that.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

LT. DAN NICHOLS, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE: ... at any given time.

We do have a new development tonight that I'd like to share with you with the Hart Senate Office Building. Originally the EPA had planned to remediate the Hart Senate Office Building by introducing chlorine dioxide into the entire building, which would have served to remediate the entire building at one time. Based upon a peer review, it was decided that, based on the concerns regarding the temperature and humidity and saturation levels, that that would not be an effective means of remediating the building.

Because of that, it was decided that we should take another effort to do extensive environmental sampling in the building to determine which areas need to be remediated, and then file a remediation plan.

The environmental sampling now has been returned for portions of the building, and this is the first time that we've had indications of minimal amounts of anthrax outside the original stack that contains Senator Daschle's suite. As you know from my previous conferences, that area is in the southeast quadrant of the Hart Senate Office Building.

Based upon environmental sampling now, we've had returns for the suites, which are room 445; that's the suite of Senator Feinstein of California. Suite 631, which is Senator Craig of Wyoming. And suite 636, which is the suite of Senator Bob Graham of Florida.

The environmental investigation has always followed the path of the mail. That's been the natural way we've been conducting this investigation from the outset. it should be noted that based upon that protocol is how this sampling has turned back positive indications.

There is ongoing sampling within the Hart Senate Office Building. That's continuing as we speak. And when I have additional results, I'll be happy to share those with you.

This also raises a concern, or at least I'm sure people are going to be interested in how we want to proceed as far as the human element of this goes. And Dr. Eisold now will speak to that aspect of it.

MANN: And so the anthrax scare is not entirely over. Word from the Capitol Police, Lieutenant Dan Nichols, that there have been three more findings -- three more hot spots in the Hart Senate Office Building. The offices belonging to Senators Feinstein, Craig, and Graham. Those samples are being studied, and the investigation into how and where all this anthrax is coming from and going continues.

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