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American Morning

Some Capitol Office Buildings Closed After Decontamination

Aired October 25, 2001 - 11:00   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Want to begin now with the anthrax attacks. And before we get into detail, let's focus for a minute now on the number of people who have been confirmed with the illness thus far. To date, 13 people are known to have been infected with anthrax; three people have died from it -- the inhaled form. Three others have contracted the inhaled form of the disease and are being treated. Seven people have the less serious, skin form, of cutaneous anthrax. And 32 in total, most of them Capitol staffers, have been exposed. That, however, does not necessarily mean they will get sick.

Let's start now this hour at the Capitol, where there are new signs about the quality and potency of the anthrax sent to Senator Tom Daschle. Once again to Kate Snow, watching this story again.

Kate, good morning.

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

New evidence of some more contamination in one particular building here on Capitol Hill. It's a building we now know quite well called the Hart Senate Office Building. One elevator -- one freight elevator inside that building -- an area right in front of that elevator has been found to have very trace amounts -- small amounts of anthrax contamination.

Now, that's the same building where Senator Tom Daschle's office located. However, it's in a very different part of the building; this elevator over to the southwest corner. It's used to deliver the mail. And authorities believe that perhaps that could be the link. Perhaps Senator Daschle's letter that he received which had anthrax in it might have gone up that elevator.

But the house Minority Leader Dick Gephardt speaking just a short time ago saying that it's not that unexpected that they would find more traces of anthrax, and that it's really no cause for alarm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RICHARD GEPHARDT (D-MO), MINORITY LEADER: When you take the time to do the study to find the facts, you're going to find some more disturbing facts. You're going to find some more anthrax, as we did in this case. That's why we wanted to get the buildings emptied out so that we could do that scientific analysis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: Two House building are open today. One Senate building open for business. But where you're looking at now is the Dirksen Senate Building. overnight, two different mail rooms on Capitol Hill -- one here in the Dirksen Building, and another at the Ford House Office Building were decontaminated. This is the first effort to actually get rid of the anthrax and decontaminate an area. These mail rooms serving both sides of the Capitol complex.

Lieutenant Dan Nichols describing what was done overnight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. DAN NICHOLS, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE: Last night was the first time we started remediation within the Capitol complex, also. We used antibacterial foam to remediate the Dirksen mail room, which is in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, and also the Ford House Office Building mail room. After that foam was applied and the rooms were remediated, they were then sealed, and they will remain sealed until further notice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: Now Senator Tom Daschle, speaking about his office building, the Hart Office Building, saying that he hopes what they can do over the weekend, Bill, is seal off the area that is contaminated, the area in and around his office, and then be able to access the building, perhaps as soon as next week, for all those people that have offices outside of the contaminated area.

Bill, back to you.

HEMMER: And Kate, on a personal note, I know you've covered the Capitol in times of election, in times of inauguration, and times of serious legislation. Knowing that these offices have been closed there, give us a sense of what you're see and feeling there as you walk through the Capitol campus?

SNOW: Well, I think a lot of people are certainly concerned and worried. But at the same time they really are trying to get things done. They passed an economic stimulus bill in the House yesterday. They passed an anti-terrorism bill, the Senate due to take that up again.

So they really are trying to keep on working. They're working in the building behind me, the Capitol building itself; it's just that they can't quite get into all of their offices. You see a lot of people walking around with BlackBerries and pagers and working -- sort of one-man band working off of the pavement here, off of the blacktop as their office -- Bill.

HEMMER: To say it is a remote location would be fitting the definition. Kate Snow, thanks, on Capitol hill.

Also, once again, as we have mentioned, a Capitol Hill journalist and five postal workers in the hospital in Maryland. And their status right now, possible anthrax cases.

CNN's Rea Blakey now joins us from Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside the capital.

Rea, good morning.

REA BLAKEY, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

What we know of that journalist is apparently she was admitted here at Holy Cross Hospital on Tuesday, when she informed physicians and those attending her that she had been at the Capitol -- in fact, outside Senator Tom Daschle's office on the day when that anthrax- Laden letter was opened.

They immediately started prophylactic treatment on antibiotics to make certain that she would at least be treated properly just in case she had an anthrax exposure. The exact tests on whether or not to confirm that should be available late tomorrow, on Friday.

In the meanwhile, those five postal workers -- or at least five people who have a connection with the Brentwood postal facility are listed in good condition here at Holy Cross Hospital. And we understand that test results on at least two of those individuals should be due later today; those results pending.

I should mention that the Capitol Hill physician, Doctor Dan Eisold, indicated that -- in regards to the journalist -- that the Capitol Hill Police were, in fact, aware of that particular circumstance. Doctor Eisold indicates that he does not anticipate that that case will, in fact, turn out to be an actual inhalation infection.

However, again, we're awaiting the test results, which should come in on Friday. They anticipate that this individual will, in fact, be in good condition when all is said and done -- Bill.

HEMMER: Rea Blakey at Silver Spring, Maryland with the latest there. Rea, thank you.

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