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American Morning

Investigation Into Who's Behind Anthrax Attacks Continues to Come Up Empty

Aired February 05, 2002 - 07:13   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.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, five people have died from inhalation anthrax so far since those letters laced with anthrax began showing up on Capitol Hill last fall. Now test results confirm anthrax that was found last week at an FCC mail facility were probably the results of cross-contamination. No new anthrax threat.

But traces, nevertheless, persist. The investigation into who's behind the attacks continues to come up empty.

CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti reports on the new FBI approach aimed at finding the culprits.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nearly four months after the first anthrax death and with no killer in custody, the FBI is making another plea for help. In a letter to the 30,000 member American Society for Microbiology, the FBI puts it bluntly. "It is very likely that one or more of you know this individual."

It's one more indication of what investigative sources have been saying privately. The four known anthrax letters came from a single U.S. source. The FBI's letter, obtained by CNN, recaps the latest FBI anthrax profile. "Someone who's experienced working in a laboratory with access to select biological agents, with the knowledge or expertise to produce a deadly product. Someone who's standoffish and works in isolation, a killer who may have used off hours in a laboratory to produce the anthrax."

Work at this private laboratory is isolating the anthrax spores' genetic sequencing, which could further narrow the list of suspect labs and scientists. So far, not even a $2.5 million reward has helped.

KEVIN DONOVAN, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: I don't think it's that we don't have any leads. We're looking out for that one person who may be able to give us specific information to help us utilize the investigation that's already been conducted.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): The FBI won't say the case is stalled, but are they close to finding the anthrax killer? They won't say that either.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAFFERTY: The anthrax scare, of course, forced the closing of the Hart Senate Office Building for several months. It's open once again and suddenly there is a mysterious rash of illnesses and symptoms showing up among congressional staffers who work there.

U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein has been closely monitoring the growing number of health related complaints and is working hard to find out what is causing members of her staff to fall ill. Her communications director, Howard Gantman, talked about the symptoms.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD GANTMAN, SENATOR FEINSTEIN'S COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: The illnesses go from burning eyes to nausea to headaches to kind of a choking sensation, like in the back of the throat it gets dry, to feeling like there's something on their hands and sometimes actually a burning sensation on their fingers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAFFERTY: The explanation or possible explanation seems to boil down to a couple of possibilities -- minute traces of anthrax in the air or perhaps chlorine dioxide from the fumigation of the building itself or perhaps some sort of after effect from all of a irradiated mail that rolls through there.

"Roll Call's" Mark Preston has been following the story closely. He joins us now from Washington, D.C.

Mark, it's nice to have you with us.

What makes anybody think this is directly related to the anthrax situation? Is there any hard evidence of that?

MARK PRESTON, "ROLL CALL": Well, it's, it is directly related in the fact that it's an after effect of the anthrax scare that happened back in October. Right now we're looking at two different reasons why staffers are possibly getting sick on Capitol Hill.

The first reason, of course, is the Hart Senate Office Building being opened. Right now there is an investigation being launched by the EPA ombudsman to check into whether that building might have been opened too early because the air quality, you know, might not be safe enough to be in there, because of the chlorine dioxide gas.

However, probably a more pressing matter, it seems right now, is the irradiated mail, which congressional staffers are handling every day. Not only are Senator Feinstein's staffers getting sick, there are at least six or seven other Senate offices where staffers are getting sick, and on the House side, there are scores more. You know, even in the last week, Jack, 100, more than 100 staffers have stepped forward to say that they're feeling a tingling sensation in their hands. They're getting headaches and in some of the more severe cases they're getting bloody noses and bleeding from the air.

So there is certainly a lot of scared staffers working on Capitol Hill.

CAFFERTY: All right. On the other side of this, though, the post office has come out and said that there's no link between the irradiated mail and these symptoms. The EPA has said that it's perfectly safe for the employees to return. The CDC, Centers for Disease Control, said that the Hart Senate Office Building is safe. And Senator Tom Daschle, who received that first anthrax tainted letter, here's what he had to say about going back to work in that building.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. THOMAS DASCHLE (D-SD), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: I feel completely safe, correct. I think we've done everything possible to remediate this building and I believe it has been a complete success.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAFFERTY: So obviously a difference of opinion. Senator Daschle looking perfectly healthy. What's the buzz among the people that you talk to when you walk the halls of the building? I mean it's not a story that we've heard a great deal about, but what are the employees saying? Are they frightened? And if so, why isn't there a louder hue and cry coming from them?

PRESTON: Well, you know, I think it has been kind of quiet. This really only developed over the last week or so, Jack. I think you're going to hear more and more in the coming weeks.

What you're hearing from staffers basically is that they're reporting these illnesses to the doctors and the congressional officials, but they don't feel like they're getting a proper response, basically. What they're hearing back is that the irradiation is not going to make them sick.

However, and I can't speak about this on an authoritative manner or on a scientific matter, I have heard from some people that their sicknesses might be the result of some kind of chemical reaction that occurs when this mail is irradiated and it hits the paper and hits the plastic.

So right now the staffers are actually pretty upset that they're not being told why they are sick.

CAFFERTY: Are there any formal plans -- and I need a quick answer -- any formal plans to investigate this on the part of government authorities or officials? Are they going to pursue this more closely, do you think?

PRESTON: Yes, absolutely. Right now there's a task force of congressional officials, officials with the CDC, the EPA, the U.S. Postal Service. Right now they're looking into this trying to determine why these people are getting sick. CAFFERTY: All right, Mark, good to have you with us. I appreciate it. Thank you.

PRESTON: Great. Thank you.

CAFFERTY: All right, Mark Preston with "Roll Call" joining us from Washington, D.C.

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