King’s office tests negative for anthrax

AUGUSTA – Preliminary tests on samples taken from Gov. Angus King’s office in the State House were negative for the presence of anthrax, officials said Wednesday evening.

“I ordered the testing because of the positive result of tests that were done at [New York] Gov. [George] Pataki’s office,” said Dr. Dora Mills, director of the state Bureau of Public Health. “There is some concern, with the results in Washington, that high public officials may be targets.”

Members of the Maine National Guard took samples from areas of the governor’s office early Wednesday evening and delivered them to the state public health laboratory for testing.

On Wednesday afternoon, Pataki’s New York City office was closed after tests revealed the possible presence of anthrax spores. In Washington, more than 30 people have tested positive for exposure to anthrax at congressional office buildings. The U.S. House of Representatives has recessed until Tuesday to allow testing to be done throughout the Capitol Hill complex.

Mills said there was no package or specific piece of mail that triggered her decision. She said it was her judgment the tests should be conducted, even after members of the governor’s staff had told reporters tests would not be conducted.

“This was not what we call a Class A response,” said Art Cleaves, director the Maine Emergency Management Agency. “The two guys that left here to do the tests were in regular Army uniforms.”

The samples were obtained without the use of full-body protective suits because there was no indication they were needed, he said. The dust and dirt samples were taken from areas of the office where mail and packages are opened.

King’s deputy director for communications, Tony Sprague, said some members of the staff continued to work while the samples were obtained.

“The governor went along with the recommendation of the state’s chief health officer,” he said.

Mills said the lab would use culture tests to determine whether any anthrax spores grow into anthrax bacteria. She said that is a more accurate test than simply checking for spores under a microscope, which was done Wednesday evening and showed no spores. She said it takes 24 to 48 hours for the culture tests to be completed.

Anthrax is a disease that is relatively rare among people, and it cannot be spread from person to person. People get the disease through skin exposure to the spores, by ingesting contaminated meat or by inhaling the spores. More often than not, the disease is treatable, especially if caught early.