Anthrax

At the time of the ILO's foundation in 1919, anthrax was such a widespread hazard for people working with wool that the Organization made its prevention the object of one of its first Recommendations.

As a tour of the ILO Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety shows, the disease has always been associated with contact with animals or animal products.

Now the recent biological attacks on persons in government and the media in the United States have added anthrax to the number of occupational hazards faced by postal workers and all others who handle mail as part of their jobs. The attacks have also added bioterrorism to the elements of workplace violence.

We include here a collection of links to on-line information resources from all over the world.

To put the issue in perspective, we offer in addition to the Encyclopaedia extracts a bibliography of relevant publications abstracted by the ILO's International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre (CIS).