Thirty-one congressional staffers tested positive for anthrax exposure on October 17, as Republican and Democratic leaders closed much of the US Capitol complex in an extraordinary precautionary measure.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said none of the employees, most of them on his staff, showed any sign of illness.
"The good news is that everyone will be OK," he said at a news conference.
Maj. John Parker from Fort Detrick, Maryland, an Army facility that confirmed the powdery substance was anthrax, said: "It's common-variety from all our testing at this point." He also characterized the sample as "pure spores."
Reuters Washington October 17, 2001
