Health authorities announced Sunday that a District of Columbia postal worker is seriously ill with the often-deadly inhaled form of anthrax, the third such diagnosis in the baffling series of anthrax poisonings that began three weeks ago in Florida.
Acting on the assumption that the worker fell ill after handling an anthrax-tainted letter, perhaps the same one that has caused turmoil on Capitol Hill, authorities began screening and preemptive antibiotic treatment for more than 2,000 mail workers at the District's main processing center and 150 workers at an airmail center near Baltimore-Washington Airport.
The postal employee, identified by co-workers as Leroy Richmond of Stafford, Va., was listed in serious condition at Inova Fairfax (Va.) Hospital. A spokesman described him as suffering from a fever and chest pains.
On Capitol Hill, environmental specialists continued to swarm over the Capitol building and adjacent offices Sunday following the discovery of anthrax spores in the Ford House Office Building Saturday. No other tests returned positive, however, and Capitol Police spokesman Lt. Dan Nichols announced that the Capitol will reopen Monday and the House and Senate will both be in session Tuesday.
House and Senate office buildings will remain closed Monday to allow for additional testing.
