Could irradiation kill anthrax? [yes!]

Suggestions on how to decontaminate mail range from microwaving to household irons. In a laboratory setting, bacteria and bacterial spores are routinely killed with bleach, or by exposure to extremely high heat in what is called an autoclave.

But many experts agree that there is very little, if anything, you can do to kill bacteria short of destroying your mail.

"Steam irons are not going to get you where you need to be," said Dr. John Clements of Tulane University in New Orleans.

There is a technology that certain companies believe will kill anthrax — irradiation.

Titan Corp. suggests its irradiation technology, currently used to kill harmful bacteria in foods such as meats, eggs and fresh produce, could be used to kill anthrax. The item in question is bombarded with electrons that kill bacteria. When asked if use against anthrax was feasible, Clements said, "In theory, you could because radiation kills [anthrax] spores."

The company estimates that it would cost approximately one penny per letter to decontaminate mail. It added that irradiation works on everything except electronics, which could be damaged by the process.

Another company, Aramsco, is offering a decontamination service using gamma rays. It is sending out mail from clients to be irradiated by an anonymous company that normally uses the process on food.

"Anthrax is very easy to kill with irradiation," said Aramsco President Dave Naylor.

In Titan's irradiation technology, ordinary electricity is used to create a beam of electrons. These electrons are accelerated and "shot" at the item to be sterilized. The beam that is generated is capable of penetrating the target up to a depth of 1 foot.

If the object being decontaminated is larger, X-rays can be used. The same electron beam is directed at a metal target, which generates X-rays. The X-rays are then capable of penetrating up to several feet.

Both the electron beam and the X-rays have the effect of breaking up the DNA of the bacteria almost instantly. This causes immediate death in most cases, and those bacteria that survive are incapable of multiplying.

"Whether it's a package of medical equipment, or a package of hamburger, or whether it's an envelope with anthrax in it, it kills the bacteria inside," said Titan CEO Gene Ray. The material sent out by Aramsco is exposed to a cobalt source that generates gamma rays. Cobalt is a radioactive substance that emits gamma rays, which are high-energy waves that are often used to treat cancer, and sterilize food. A More Familiar Form of Irradiation Might Work Lambda Technologies in North Carolina believes that microwaves can kill the anthrax bacteria. The process would involve exposing mail to microwaves in large industrial sized machines.

These machines are not like your microwave at home. These machines use what is known as variable frequency microwave technology. This allows them to tune the machine to obtain the most efficient killing. The technology also eliminates arching, or sparks, that form when metal is put in conventional microwave ovens.

According to Howard Reisner, an immunologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, it has been reported by several sources that microwaves can kill bacteria and bacterial spores.

Many people are concerned about safety when they hear the term irradiation. One fear is that the food itself will become radioactive. According to the Food and Drug Administration, "Irradiation does not make foods radioactive, just as an airport luggage scanner does not make luggage radioactive."

Another concern that people express is that irradiation will mutate bacteria, and create even more harmful forms. "There is no evidence that mutants that may be produced by irradiation are any more virulent than the parent microorganism; in fact, the opposite is more likely to be the case," according to the FDA.

Thanks for the link. Good info.

Since the discovery of anthrax in Palm Beach County, this web site has received many messages asking the U-M to "release its protective agent against anthrax." Here are the facts:

In 1998, scientists at the U-M Center for Biologic Nanotechnology conducted research on nanoemulsions. In these experiments, the substance destroyed anthrax spores on surfaces and in laboratory mice exposed to the bacteria through a skin incision.

The "formula" for the substance is not the issue. This material is the result of a unique manufacturing process. Unless it is manufactured in a specific manner and unless appropriate quality controls are performed, the resulting mixture could be totally non-functional. Thus, providing this information would not be helpful and might actually lead to a false sense of security.

A private company called NanoBio currently is managing this project (see www.nanobio.com ). They are trying to accelerate approval from the Environmental Protection Agency to use the material for decontamination and cleaning.

While the initial studies with mice were encouraging, the substance has not been proven effective in people. Until clinical studies are conducted and approval from the Food and Drug Administration is obtained, no one can say whether the substance will prevent anthrax infection in people. NanoBio is applying for approval from the Food and Drug Administration to conduct clinical trials and hopes to begin these later this year.

Up-to-date information on anthrax is available on the Center for Disease Control web site at: www.bt.cdc.gov/Agent/Anthrax/Anthrax.asp

James R. Baker Jr., M.D.
Ruth Dow Doan Professor of Biologic Nanotechnology,
Director Center for Biological Nanotechnology
University of Michigan Medical School

And from NanoBio's website:

Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, 11 October 2001 - In light of concerns that have been raised about an attack with biological weapons against US civilians, NanoBio Corporation offers the following information and perspective.

The defense from an attack with biological weapons has three broad aspects: 1) detection of the threat and agent, 2) prophylactic medications or vaccines, and 3) bio-decon materials. Research by NanoBio's CSO, Dr. James R. Baker, Jr., conducted at the University of Michigan School of Medicine (UoM) has concentrated on developing remedies for aspects 2 and 3.

Concerning aspect 2, the research into a prophylactic medication, a human protective treatment, to protect people exposed to bio-attack pathogens (Anthrax, Ebola, etc.) has resulted in a "protective and immune system stimulant" applied topically to the skin as a cream and to the mucous membranes aa a nasal spray. This technology has shown significant potential to prevent infection with inhaled influenza virus using a mouse model. This research is funded through March 2002 by an agency of the Department of Defense (DoD) known as DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Programs Agency). Further testing is planned by the US Army Medical Command's Institute for Surgical Research pending additional funding from DARPA or DTRA (Defense Threat Reduction Agency).

Concerning aspect 3, the UoM research by Dr. Baker also has developed a remarkable bio-decon material to remove weaponized pathogens from surfaces, buildings, cars, clothing, etc. This technology is available today through UoM spin-off, NanoBio Corporation. The bio-decon material technology invented is that of "antimicrobial nanoemulsions" and it can be applied to skin and the environment without harmful effects. The classes of microbes eradicated are virus (e.g., Ebola), bacteria (e.g., Botulism), spores (e.g., Anthrax), and fungi (e.g., Aspergillus). The nanoemulsions also can be formulated to kill only one or two classes of microbes, as necessary.

A "broad-spectrum" nanoemulsion was tested on surfaces by the US Army (RestOps) in Dec 1999 for decontamination of Anthrax spore surrogates. It was tested again by RestOps in March 2001 as a chemical decontamination agent. All tests were successful. The fact that the nanoemulsion also functioned as a chemical decontamination material is an unexpected plus. Dr. Jane A. Alexander, acting DARPA Director, stated interest in this nanotechnology for purposes of bio-decon for the skin in her statement before the Senate Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities on 5 June 2001.

NanoBio is aware of the immediate security need for producing and stockpiling the bio-decon material and plans to license the specific technology to accomplish this. NanoBio has requested emergency funding from the U.S. government so that the deployment of both the human protective treatment medication and the bio-decon material can be accelerated.

Thanks for posting this very interesting article.

Some random thoughts:

What if I open a FedEx package (let's say, one with computer equipment) out in the sunlight? I wonder how long it takes for the sunshine to decontaminate the package so my family members can use the equipment safely. (I realize I would have been exposed to catching the disease myself, when I opened the package.)
Will sunlight shining through windows do as well as sunlight outdoors? (Perhaps someone can develop a can-opener sized letter opener which can be set outdoors, or under a skylight, to open our mail for us.)
I guess anthrax is not exactly flourishing in the sunnier regions of the world, like Saudi Arabia.
I could see using food-irradiating equipment to irradiate our snail-mail correspondence, even if it takes 40 times longer to irradiate the letters. No one cares about the edibility of bills.
Maybe more people will switch to paying their bills online, now. I pay a few of them that way and could arrange to pay most of them that way. It takes a while for the billing systems to switch over, but the transfer could conceivably be hurried along if enough effort is put into it.

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