U.N. to Get Bioterror Agent Decontamination Systems

Two $60,000 machines capable of cleansing mail of anthrax and other biological agents were completed Friday and are expected to be used at the United Nations, the Post-Standard of Syracuse, N.Y., reported (see GSN, Nov. 3).

The MailDefender system uses microwaves, heat, ultraviolet light and antimicrobial chemicals to destroy dangerous pathogens. Developer BioDefense Corp of Massachusetts is marketing it to government agencies and corporations that are concerned about keeping their mail safe.

BioDefense plans to test the first units before they are shipped to the United Nations, said company CEO Michael Lu.

Lu said that if these systems are successful, the United Nations might buy hundreds more.

BioDefense said independent tests confirm that the system, which was created after the September 2001 al-Qaeda attacks, is capable of eliminating anthrax, smallpox, ricin, HIV, influenza, botulism and the plague (Tim Knauss, Post-Standard, Dec. 12).

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