Posting it because it happened in my city..
Quote:
CBC Canada-Winnipeg
WINNIPEG - A Federal Express courier truck carrying a package of anthrax collided with a car in central Winnipeg Wednesday, but officials say the package was not damaged in the crash and the public was never in danger.
The truck was carrying five packages for the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, the federal virology lab, which contained samples of anthrax, E. coli, salmonella, tuberculosis, influenza and a sexually transmitted disease.
Officials with the lab said the viruses were not in forms that could be lethal. They described the anthrax as level 2 and level 3, which apparently isn't as dangerous as the more severe form of the disease.
The centre said it would not ship the more dangerous form of anthrax through a commercial courier.
The area surrounding the accident site was sealed off and the hazardous materials unit was called in to deal with the accident.
Centre officials said all safety protocols were followed, and no changes to those protocols are planned as a result of the crash. They noted that the packages the diseases are shipped in are designed to withstand a plane crash.
A spokesperson for Federal Express said each of its drivers is trained to handle dangerous goods, including chemicals for the federal virology lab and the Centres for Disease Control in Atlanta.
There are three forms of anthrax infection: cutaneous (skin), gastrointestinal (stomach and intestine) and inhalation (lungs).
The cutaneous form of anthrax causes ulcers and coal-black scabs. Intestinal anthrax, which can be transmitted to people by eating contaminated meat, causes intense pain, bleeding and diarrhea.
The inhaled form of anthrax is usually fatal.
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Can't these labs use some other form of transfering the chemicals. I mean for crying out loud, every day normal people use Fed Ex, or Purolator, UPS, etc. They need their own carrier services.
The crash happened right outside the university I go to. Thank God I wasn't there today! I don't care if the packages weren't harmed.
