Bank staff off over anthrax alert

Anthrax killed five Americans last year

Employees at the World Bank in Washington have been advised to stay at home for two days because an anthrax test on mail sent to their building came back positive.

But a second test of the mail, also done on Monday, came back negative.

The World Bank has sent the mail to a private tester for a more thorough analysis, which can take up to three days to complete. Preliminary tests often give false positives.

A small batch of mail this morning [Monday] tested positive for anthrax

World Bank spokeswoman

The US Government is also reported to be preparing to give lie detector tests to hundreds of federal workers at two facilities where anthrax is stored, hoping to identify suspects in letter attacks perpetrated last year.

Five Americans died and at least 13 other people were infected but recovered, after envelopes containing anthrax spores were sent to the US Congress and prominent media figures.

The World Bank's employees, who normally work at one of the institution's five buildings in Washington, have been asked to work from home if possible.

An annex of the bank's main building, it houses the bank's African division and the World Bank Institute, its training arm.

Polygraph tests

The US Government wants to administer lie detector tests to as many as 200 current and former employees, ABC News reported on Monday.

Staff at facilities in Fort Detrick, Maryland, near Washington, and Dugway Proving Ground, close to Salt Lake City, Utah, are expected to be tested in June.

As the trail for suspects grows cold, the polygraphs are expected to give investigators new leads, ABC said.

Citing unidentified sources and law enforcement officials, ABC said the anthrax that was sent through the mail last autumn is consistent with the Ames anthrax strain stored at Fort Detrick and then distributed to labs for research.

The government will focus on workers who had expertise in preparing anthrax for use as a weapon and those who may have had access to it.

One official interviewed said the plan to test employees did not mean the government already has a suspect.