Courier Truck Carrying Anthrax Crashes in Winnipeg

A commercial courier truck carrying samples of anthrax and other pathogens crashed yesterday in the Canadian city of Winnipeg, according to the Winnipeg Free Press (see GSN, March 2).

The truck was carrying the samples to the city’s virology laboratory from facilities in British Columbia and Alberta when it collided with a van, the Free Press reported. None of the pathogen samples in the truck were spilled during the wreck, said officials with the Canadian Science Center for Human and Animal Health.

The truck was carrying “only minute quantities … in the milliliter range” of the pathogens, which included anthrax, influenza, salmonella and tuberculosis, said Stefan Wagener, the center’s chief administrative officer.

Wagener said couriers are often used to transport pathogen samples to and from the facility.

“This is a routine process for us … that happens every day,” Wagener said. “That is the internationally accepted way of shipping those materials (Jason Bell, Winnipeg Free Press, March 3).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.