A leading bioterror expert said on Tuesday people who feel panicky about opening their mail amid the anthrax scare can use a hot steam iron and a moist layer of fabric to kill germs.
Ken Alibek, a top former Soviet germ warfare scientist who is now a U.S.-based author and researcher trying to develop defenses against bioterror, told a surprised congressional briefing on nonproliferation that a hot, moist steam iron and moist fabric could kill anthrax spores.
Pressed by surprised lawmakers who were not sure if they had heard him right, he repeated that several times.
"Iron your letters," he said, adding that a microwave oven was not as good as an iron and that including moisture was essential because spores could survive dry heat.
For large amounts of mail, in big cities or postal distribution centers, he recommended setting up portable gamma radiation units to sterilize letters. "This problem could be solved," he said.
Alibek repeated the advice of many other experts that people should not buy gas masks. But he said that if his biotech company and two others doing similar work got "significant funding," they probably could bring to market new antiviral drugs that would work against several potential bioterror weapons within two years. "We've had interesting results with animals," he said.
Connecticut Republican Christopher Shays, who convened the hearing, noted that the chances of anyone getting anthrax-contaminated mail were extremely small.
Reuters Washington October 17, 2001
Don't you just love easy and simple solutions? This MAY become important in the future.
As of yesterday a New Jersey postal worker and an assistant to CBS News anchor Dan Rather have contracted the skin form of anthrax, bringing to six the total number of people known to have been infected by the anthrax in the latest bioterrorist attacks.
Please do NOT become panicked about this and iron all your letters. Nearly all of the cases developed to date were cutaneous anthrax which is relatively easily treated.
Additionally, this is NOT a call to take dangerous antibiotics as some people are doing just to "protect" yourself. This is one of the worst things you can do as one is far more likely to have lightning kill them then be exposed to anthrax. Antibiotics should ONLY be used if anthrax is documented, and it seems quite clear that most of us will not be affected.
Also Cipro is NOT the only drug that works for anthrax. Indeed it is a relatively poor choice from an economic perspective as it is expensive. (My brother accidentally renamed this drug Cirpox which seems more appropriate in the current climate).
If you feel inclined to stock some antibiotics a far more wise choice would be doxycycline. It costs about 90% less and not only is effective for anthrax but for most all of the other non viral biogermwarfare agents.
If you feel anxious about this I could not encourage you more strongly to review the outstanding page that I have compiled that provides a description of how to use EFT for this. EFT is a simple technique that is highly effective for anxiety. Additionally, it does not cost anything for you to do this to yourself.
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