Pentagon: Military Accidentally Shipped Live Anthrax To 9 Labs

Chemistry student Jorge Rodriguez Martinez holds a sample of billions of Anthrax bacteria at the National School of Biological Sciences in Mexico City, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2001. Two germ banks tucked away in Mexico C... Chemistry student Jorge Rodriguez Martinez holds a sample of billions of Anthrax bacteria at the National School of Biological Sciences in Mexico City, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2001. Two germ banks tucked away in Mexico City stock dozens of petri dishes filled with anthrax, the bacteria that have sparked a worldwide panic. But there are no armed guards, no security cameras and no health officials tottering about in germ-proof space suits. In fact, these labs sell, swap or even give away the potentially deadly microbe to those with scientific credentials. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano) MORE LESS
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says it inadvertently shipped live anthrax spores to as many as nine laboratories and is investigating how that happened.

The labs were supposed to receive dead — or inactivated — anthrax samples for research use.

Spokesman Col. Steve Warren says the Pentagon is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to retrieve the samples.

He says the government has confirmed one shipment contained live spores and suspects eight others did, too. Warren says the government believes there are no risks to the public.

The live spores were shipped from Dugway Proving Ground in Utah — a Defense Department facility — to government and commercial labs in Texas, Maryland, Wisconsin, Delaware, New Jersey, Tennessee, New York, California and Virginia.

Contact with anthrax spores can cause severe illness.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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