Auburn, Oct.17---As more and more media and political figures are exposed to anthrax, many ordinary Americans are left wondering if they face a serious risk of exposure to the potentially deadly bacteria.

Probably not, says one expert.

"While the recent outbreaks are a sign Americans should be better informed and more alert about the potential dangers associated with the bacteria, there is no reason why they should not go about their daily lives," says Dr. Jean Weese, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System food scientist.

Even so, she says, there are some things Americans should know about reducing their risk of exposure.

Mail, which appears to be the major source of distribution at this point, can be handled with care to prevent contamination.

"If you get a piece of mail from someone you don’t know, don’t open it," Weese says. "Also, if you find any substance coming out of it, take care that it doesn’t get on your skin or clothes or become airborne," she adds. "And by all means, do not attempt to smell it."

For more information about handling mail, visit the Centers for Disease Control Web site titled "How to Handle Anthrax Threats."

While no anthrax cases have been associated with the food supply, food nevertheless remains a potential source of exposure.

The good news is that anthrax spores can be killed with a 10-percent chlorine solution. While such concentrated solutions are generally unavailable in grocery stores, chlorine bleaches applied straight from the bottle will reduce spore numbers and kill vegetative cells.

"If you have any reason to be concerned about your food, you should consider washing it with chlorine bleach," Weese says. "No, it won’t taste very well after washing, but it will provide some peace of mind nevertheless."

As an added precaution, Weese recommends allowing the bleach to set into the product before washing it off. This enables the chlorine to continue killing spores on the food while allowing more of the chlorine to be dispersed into the air.

While this approach is an effective way to control exposure to anthrax, it is a drastic measure that should not be used under everyday conditions, Weese says.

Exposure to anthrax from food occurs when the spores enter the body through the digestive system. Even then, there would still be time to treat the disease.

Gastroenteritis follows this type of exposure and is manifested by nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting and fever, followed by abdominal pain, vomiting of blood and severe diarrhea.

When treated early with antibiotics, most patients suffering from this type of exposure are able to make a full recovery.

The good news is that most of the nation’s drinking water supply is treated with chlorine. While chlorine levels in drinking water are not at the 10-percent level recommended to kill spores, routine water treatment greatly reduces the risk of exposure from drinking water.

Water treatment plants typically treat water with chlorine levels of between 3 and 4 percent. After initial treatment, the water is treated with an additional 1.5- to 2-percent chlorine solution before being released into pipes and conveyed to homes.

All of these steps, Weese says, would greatly reduce the impact of spores that could be released into the raw water supply.

The most risky form of exposure to anthrax comes from breathing anthrax spores.

"When anthrax spores get into the airways and into the lungs, they quickly germinate and multiply, infecting the lungs and chest tissue," Weese says. "Over time, as the bacteria grow and continue to infect the tissues, they produce toxins that get into your bloodstream, and fluid begins collecting in the lungs."

Within a matter of days, breathing becomes more difficult.

"In such cases, antibiotics do little good because the poisons will have already have spread throughout the body," she says.

However, airborne anthrax is exceedingly rare and difficult to produce.

While conceding Americans are living in scary times, Weese says it’s important to remember that all of the cases that have turned up have been linked with individuals associated with high-profile places, such as major media and government facilities.

In addition, Weese says Americans should remember the nature of terrorism.

Terrorism, after all, is not so much associated with killing innocent people as with sowing fear so that society is less equipped to function.

"I think we all need to keep our head and not worry so much," she says. "Even if they don’t harm us directly, they accomplish their goal by scaring us."

"Since they want us to live in fear, we can fight back by going about our daily lives and not giving into this fear."