Fumigation of an anthrax-contaminated US Senate building hit technical hurdles last night when clean-up crews attempted to rid the huge facility of the potentially deadly bacterium once and for all.
Originally meant to end early yesterday, fumigation of the Hart Office Building might instead run straight through today too, said Bonnie Piper, a spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Agency.
The building, which houses the offices of half of the 100 US senators, has been shut since shortly after a letter laced with anthrax spores was opened on October 15 in the offices of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat.
Ms Piper said the clean-up team, which began work on Friday and was scheduled to finish early Saturday, had struggled to reach a high enough saturation level of chlorine dioxide. The gas, more commonly used to treat drinking water and sterilize medical equipment, is being used to kill any lingering anthrax spores.