No illness reported after ricin discovery

WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist confirmed Tuesday that a suspicious powder discovered in one of his offices was ricin, a lethal toxin with no known antidote, but said no one has reported any ill effects.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officials confirmed Tuesday night that a letter containing a vial of ricin was mailed to the White House in November.

The letter was similar to one discovered in October at the Greenville, S.C., postal distribution center on Brozzini Court, near Pelham Road.

Also Tuesday, a postal worker at a center where anthrax was found in 2001 found an unidentified powder in an envelope addressed to the Republican National Committee, officials said Tuesday.

In Connecticut, a coarse gray powder found at one of the state's postal facilities tested negative for ricin, said Mark Saunders, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service. The material was leaking out of a letter addressed to the Republican National Committee.

Ricin danger

In Washington, officials have found no evidence that any of the 40 to 50 people at risk were exposed to enough ricin to sicken them, said Dr. John Eisold, the Capitol physician.

The ricin powder was discovered late Monday in Frist's offices in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

"It is active; how active we don't know," said Frist, a physician, noting that the substance could potentially sicken people.

Across the Capitol, the House conducted business as usual Tuesday. Senate leaders decided to hold no votes and canceled all committee hearings, though senators trooped to the chamber floor to debate a highway bill.

But Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who was in Washington Tuesday, said the discovery and subsequent shutdown of the Senate office complex would not deter the work of the Senate.

"If the goal of the people who did this was to shut down democracy, they failed," Graham said. "The Senate remains in session."

Graham added that the incident is a reminder for the U.S. Congress that the dangers posed by the 2001 anthrax attacks have not gone away.

"We're getting better every time we have one of these incidents, but it's a problem that is not going to go away," Graham said.

"Whether it's a terrorist organization or just some nut out there trying to make a statement, this is just a fact of life in 2004. It's going to continue and we're going to have to continue preparing to handle these threats."

Senate office buildings, however, are expected to remain closed today.

Staff members for both Graham and Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, D-S.C., said their offices were closed as a precaution while awaiting the results of additional tests.

"I think every single one of us who's operated in the Capitol have known for several years since 9-11 that we work next to a very high-profile national symbol," said Andy Davis, a Hollings staff member.

"There's a very high risk, which all of us became aware of after Sept. 11, 2001, and even more so after the anthrax attacks. It is a privilege to work next to the Capitol, but these are some of the unfortunate realities that the Capitol and the Capitol staff have become prepared for."

Both senators have offices based in the Russell Senate Office Building, which is next door to the Dirksen Building where investigators discovered ricin.

Graham had several speaking engagements in Washington Tuesday. Until the offices reopen, he will work out of an office provided by Rep. Henry Brown, R-S.C.

Hollings was in South Carolina Tuesday to cast his vote in the state's Democratic primary and will most likely remain in the state because his Senate committee meetings scheduled for today have been canceled, a Hollings spokesman said.

Staff for both senators planned to work from home, and the senators' South Carolina offices handled most of their business.

The news also rattled South Carolina House members and their staffers, but all resolved that the incident would not affect their work. Rep. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., applauded efforts led by Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge to prevent similar incidents.

"The incident appears to be a criminal act," DeMint said. "Unfortunately, this is part of life in our post-September 11th world. That these incidents occur so rarely is a sign that the Department of Homeland Security is doing its job effectively."

Many staffers from the House, including Chuck Fant, an aide to Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., praised the handling of the incident by Capitol police

"Most of our staff, having gone through the anthrax poisoning, have developed a great deal of respect for the operations of the Capitol police, and we have great confidence in what they're doing," Fant said. "But anytime something like this happens, it makes you stop and think."

Although House office buildings remained open Tuesday, Capitol police directed all members and their staff to not open or handle mail. Several staffers pointed out that the irradiation process used to screen mail for active spores like anthrax does not work on toxins like ricin. They said they expected the issue to be addressed in coming weeks.

In the Greenville case, a letter was found addressed to the Department of Transportation demanding that planned changes to truckers' sleep and work regimens not be implemented. The FBI has offered a $100,000 reward for information in that case.

Ricin, a lethal toxin derived from castor beans, has no known treatment. Symptoms of ricin exposure include difficulty breathing, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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