Sensors at two military mail facilities in the Washington area detected signs of anthrax on two pieces of mail Monday, but Pentagon officials said the mail had already been irradiated, rendering any anthrax inert.
Additional tests and other sensors at the two facilities, one of them at the Pentagon and the other nearby, found no presence of the bacteria, which can be used as a biological weapon. There were no initial reports of illness.
The Pentagon's mail delivery site, which is separate from the main Pentagon building, was evacuated and shut down Monday morning after sensors triggered an alarm, spokesman Glenn Flood said.
Hours later, sensors at the second Defense Department mailroom were triggered.
Medical personnel took cultures from anyone who may have had contact with those deliveries.
Anthrax can be spread through the air or by skin contact. Officials noted that anthrax sensors can give false-positive results.
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