US army plans to bulk-buy anthrax

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http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8044

 

US army plans to bulk-buy anthrax

 

* 10:00 24 September 2005

* NewScientist.com news service

* David Hambling

 

 

THE US military wants to buy large quantities of anthrax, in a

controversial move that is likely to raise questions over its

commitment to treaties designed to limit the spread of biological weapons.

 

A series of contracts have been uncovered that relate to the US army's

Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. They ask companies to tender for the

production of bulk quantities of a non-virulent strain of anthrax, and

for equipment to produce significant volumes of other biological agents.

 

Issued earlier this year, the contracts were discovered by Edward

Hammond, director of the Sunshine Project, a US-German organisation

that campaigns against the use of biological and chemical weapons.

 

One " biological services " contract specifies: " The company must have

the ability and be willing to grow Bacillus anthracis Sterne strain at

1500-litre quantities. " Other contracts are for fermentation equipment

for producing 3000-litre batches of an unspecified biological agent,

and sheep carcasses to test the efficiency of an incinerator for the

disposal of infected livestock.

Major concern

 

Although the Sterne strain is not thought to be harmful to humans and

is used for vaccination, the contracts have caused major concern.

 

" It raises a serious question over how the US is going to demonstrate

its compliance with obligations under the Biological Weapons

Convention if it brings these tanks online, " says Alan Pearson,

programme director for biological and chemical weapons at the Center

for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington DC. " If one can

grow the Sterne strain in these units, one could also grow the Ames

strain, which is quite lethal. "

 

The US renounced biological weapons in 1969, but small quantities of

lethal anthrax were still being produced at Dugway as recently as 1998.

 

It is not known what use the biological agents will be put to. They

could be used to test procedures to decontaminate vehicles or

buildings, or to test an " agent defeat " warhead designed to destroy

stores of chemical and biological weapons.

Highly provocative

 

There are even fears that they could be used to determine how

effectively anthrax is dispersed when released from bombs or

crop-spraying aircraft. " I can definitely see them testing biological

weapons delivery systems for threat assessment, " says Hammond.

 

Whatever use it is put to, however, the move could be seen as highly

provocative by other nations, he says. " What would happen to the

Biological Weapons Convention if other countries followed suit and

built large biological production facilities at secretive military

bases known for weapons testing? "

 

A spokesperson for Dugway said the anthrax contract is still at the

pre-solicitation stage, and the base has not yet acquired the agent.

They refused to say what it will be used for.