Massachusetts identifies lab that received anthrax sample

June 2, 2015 4:02 pm

By The Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) _ Massachusetts health officials say a shipment that included small amounts of active anthrax spores was mistakenly delivered by the Department of Defense to a private laboratory in Marlborough.

Officials said the samples were among those mistakenly shipped by the Army to research laboratories.

State health officials said one of the samples was sent the IQuum lab owned by Roche Molecular in Marlborough. They said the sample was last handled in July 2014, and has been frozen since then.

The Department of Public Health is investigating the situation in cooperation with the federal government.

Officials cautioned there is no threat to public safety and there have been no issues concerning the spores at the laboratory since they were received.

DPH officials said they’re working to transport the spores back to the federal government.