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CNN Live At Daybreak

People from the Hart Office Building Tested for Anthrax

Aired October 17, 2001 - 08:05   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now on to some of the latest developments on the investigative front.

CNN's Susan Candiotti has this morning told us that investigators now say the anthrax strain found in a letter to NBC is linked to the strain found in Washington but so far they have not made a connection to the strain found in Florida. Government officials tell CNN laboratory tests done on anthrax samples so far indicate anthrax has not been -- quote -- "weaponized." But sources say the disease strain found in a letter sent to Senator Tom Daschle was very potent.

And congressional correspondent Kate Snow now has more on that.

Good morning, Kate.

KATE SNOW, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Several sources telling CNN that this was not an amateur job, that this was particularly strong, particularly potent anthrax that was contained inside that letter received at Senator Tom Daschle's office on Monday morning -- opened up on Monday morning. Twelve offices in that building around Senator Daschle's office remain closed. One corner of the Hart Senate Office Building this morning remaining closed. It's about a block from where I'm standing right now.

Yesterday inside that building more than a thousand people lined up in a pretty long line waiting to be tested for anthrax exposure. All of these folks were people who had been in the area on Monday, had been inside the Hart Office Building and were a little concerned that perhaps they might have been close enough to the situation that they should just precautionarily take this test.

We're told that there is some concern that perhaps this anthrax could have gotten into the ventilation system in the Hart Building. Capitol Police, though, dismiss -- not dismissing but downplaying that and saying that it's very unlikely that that had happened, but nonetheless, they wanted to be extra safe that's why they've run these tests on all of these 1,000 people. All of those folks, incidentally, have been given a three-day supply of antibiotics, again, just to be safe.

Senator Daschle telling CNN that so far everyone who was in his office, about 40 or 50 people who were there at the time the letter was opened, are doing just fine, none of them showing any symptoms.

And again, Paula, no definite confirmation that anyone has anthrax spores or has been infected with anthrax -- Paula.

ZAHN: All right. Kate Snow, thanks so much.

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