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.
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 causebotulism. 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.