A Department of Health and Human Services building has tested presumptively positive for anthrax, Secretary Tommy Thompson said today.
The mailrooms at the Cohen building, which houses offices of the Food and Drug Administration, the Voice of America and other agencies, have been closed and mailroom workers are being given antibiotics, Mr Thompson said at a news briefing.
"The Cohen building has been presumptively positively tested for anthrax over the past couple days," Mr Thompson said.
He said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting additional tests to confirm whether samples recovered were anthrax, the potentially deadly bacteria that has killed three people in the United States since early October. He said results would be available in 24 to 48 hours.