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Academic research

2001 Anthrax Attacks

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Where this source supports the record

Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.

  1. Historic crimes & investigations · 18 September–November 2001

    The 2001 Anthrax Letter Attacks

    Brentwood mail-processing facility and national letter route · United States

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    Why editors use it here

    CDC medical and epidemiologic record of cases, exposures, treatment, deaths, and response.

    1. Quick read

      Beginning one week after September 11, letters containing Bacillus anthracis spores were mailed to news organizations and United States senators.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026
    2. Trigger and conditions

      Letters postmarked 18 September reached media organizations; photo editor Robert Stevens developed inhalational anthrax and died on 5 October.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026
    3. Uncertainty

      The twenty-two cases and five deaths are established.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026
    4. Why it matters

      The attack turned a national logistics network into an exposure pathway and showed that intended targets are not the only people at risk.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026