Nothing false about
anthrax fears

Reams of paper and barrels of ink were consumed last week reporting on the incident in which anthrax was suspected of having filtered into an architectural firm downtown. When the white powder in question was finally determined not to be anthrax, the episode was termed a false alarm. That set off much criticism of Mayor Harris and the press for overreacting.

On reflection, maybe the fault was in calling the event a false alarm. That term is generally considered to refer to an intentional, deliberate act to deceive and cause a reaction. Some one pulls a fire alarm when there's no fire or calls 911 to ask an ambulance to come to a house down the street when no one is sick.

Surely the response to the suspected anthrax was genuine. Calling the cops and the public health people was based on real fear. Only later was it discovered that the suspected substance was not anthrax. So what to call the whole thing if it wasn't a false alarm?

Maybe a "suspected threat" or a "possible danger." Anyone have a better idea?

--Richard Halloran

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