--- title: Anthrax Accident: CDC Workers Exposed to Deadly Bacteria description: Researchers handling the deadly bacteria may have been exposed when the bugs were not deactivated properly canonical: https://time.com/2905041/heres-what-you-should-know-about-the-anthrax-accident/ author: Alice Park article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-20T15:23:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T08:32:29.566Z article:section: Health og:title: Here's What You Need to Know About the Anthrax Accident og:description: 86 CDC workers were exposed. Here's what happened og:url: https://time.com/2905041/heres-what-you-should-know-about-the-anthrax-accident/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2cf8cb25a24c8137/6986989a13c79f3275192bfc/anthrax1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2200 og:image:height: 1238 og:image:alt: A microscopic picture of spores and vegetative cells of Bacillus anthracis which causes the disease anthrax. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's What You Need to Know About the Anthrax Accident twitter:description: 86 CDC workers were exposed. Here's what happened twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2cf8cb25a24c8137/6986989a13c79f3275192bfc/anthrax1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's What You Need to Know About the Anthrax Accident > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators.  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Jun 20, 2014 3:23 PM UTC  A microscopic picture of spores and vegetative cells of Bacillus anthracis which causes the disease anthrax. A microscopic picture of spores and vegetative cells of Bacillus anthracis which causes the disease anthrax. Reuters  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Jun 20, 2014 3:23 PM UTC The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [announced on Thursday](http://time.com/2902415/cdc-anthrax-atlanta/) that 86 of its staff members in Atlanta are being [monitored for possible anthrax exposure](http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/s0619-anthrax.html). Scientists at the facility routinely study the bioterror agent, which is classified at “Biosafety Level 3,” meaning it can cause fatal infections and is transmitted easily by inhalation. Bacillus anthracis occurs naturally in soil and can infect wild and domestic animals, who can transmit the bacteria to humans. In the U.S., livestock are routinely vaccinated against anthrax, which keeps the number of domestic outbreaks low. Once inside the body, anthrax produces toxins that can be fatal if left untreated. Because the spores are microscopic and can be mixed into powders or liquids and into the food supply, the biggest threat of anthrax infection may come from bioterrorists. In 2001, spores were sent in the mail to political leaders and members of media, and five of the 22 people who were exposed, including postal service workers, died. The CDC’s Level 3 facility can only be accessed through a set of double, self-locking doors that prevent air from escaping the lab into the outside environment. All workers must wear gowns, gloves, protective eye equipment and, often, respirators. Any work with the bacteria is done under a “hood,” which protects workers with a clear shield. So how did the workers get exposed? **MORE:** [Anthrax: A Medical Guide](http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1001065,00.html) According to the CDC, proper procedures to “deactivate” the anthrax when leaving the lab were not followed. The workers handling anthrax were properly protected, but they passed the bacteria on to other labs that had lower safety requirements. Several days after the transfer, when the original plates of bacteria were thrown out, technicians noticed that anthrax was still growing on some of them. The building was closed and decontaminated, and officials continue to test air samples for presence of the bacteria. “CDC believes that other CDC staff, family members and the general public are not at risk of exposure and do not need to take any protective action,” the agency said in a [statement](http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/s0619-anthrax.html). Intravenous antibiotics can counteract the bacteria, and antitoxins can neutralize the poison. The CDC staff who might have been exposed are currently taking antibiotics and being monitored for symptoms of infection. 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