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Deadly discovery in US labs

The deadly microbes were stored in vials

8 September 2014

Six deadly substances, some over a century old, have been discovered in government laboratories in the United States. The deadly microbes were found in a hunt that started after the accidental discovery in July of bottles of smallpox at a research centre near Washington.

Reporter:

Joanna Jolly

Report

Workers searching the government premises found six different types of microbes classed as being so dangerous they're required to be stored at high-secure facilities.

Instead, they were found in regular laboratories. They included bacteria that cause the plague and nerve toxins that cause botulism. A vial of the highly poisonous toxin ricin was also found, dating from nearly a century ago.

Authorities said although the microbes had not been stored correctly, they had been properly sealed, so posed no danger to staff. They have all been destroyed.