- POMONA, Calif. (AP) _ A telephoned anthrax threat forced about 800 people
to be quarantined for several hours inside a dance club Sunday - at least
the fifth such hoax in Southern California this month.
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- No trace of the potentially deadly bacterium
was found in preliminary tests, authorities said.
-
- A Los Angeles County hazardous materials
team and the FBI's Domestic Terrorism Task Force went to the Glass House
late Saturday after a man called police and said ``a significant quantity''
of anthrax would be released, police Lt. Gary Graham said.
-
- If inhaled, anthrax spores can cause
respiratory failure and death within a week if left untreated.
-
- Clubgoers were quarantined inside for
about four hours while the air-conditioning system and all vents and filters
were checked and samples taken for study, Graham said.
-
- Authorities have not determined if the
threat is related to four others.
-
- A telephoned threat on Dec. 21 emptied
two Van Nuys courthouses and forced about 1,500 people into quarantine
for several hours. On Dec. 18, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in nearby Woodland
Hills was targeted and about 90 people underwent antibiotic treatment.
-
- On Dec. 17, an office building in the
Westwood area of Los Angeles received a letter threatening exposure to
anthrax. On Dec. 14, another hoax occurred in Riverside County when a Perris
School District secretary opened a letter that read: ``You've been exposed
to anthrax.''
-
- Anthrax hoaxes also have occurred in
Colorado, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
-
-
- Treating Anthrax Hoaxes With
Costly Rubber Gloves
-
- The New York Times 12-28-98
-
- LOS ANGELES -- On Saturday night, the Glass House dance club in nearby Pomona
was packed with 800 people enjoying the holidays when the local police,
federal agents and members of a Los Angeles County hazardous materials
team walked in and stopped the music. It was almost midnight and for the
next four hours no one was allowed to leave. A few minutes earlier someone
had called 911 and reported what has suddenly become a common threat across
the Los Angeles area in the holiday season: The caller said the lethal
bacteria anthrax had been released in the club. .... In the last month,
nearly 3,000 people were evacuated and detained for hours after anthrax
threats were received at courthouses, schools, stores and, most recently,
the Glass House. Colorado, Kentucky and Tennessee have also been subject
to anthrax threats in recent months. Now, Los Angeles authorities are
reassessing how they handle such calls, searching for the best balance
between protecting the public and not wasting time and money on hoaxes.
....
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- TO ACCESS ENTIRE ARTICLE (free registration
required): http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/national/anthrax-hoax.html
-
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