A mail facility that processes letters to the White House tested positive for anthrax, as officials confirmed today that the bacteria caused the death of two Washington postal workers.

White House press secretary Ari Fleisher announced this afternoon the discovery at a military facility "miles away" from the White House complex "The investigation is beginning and they are going to try to find the source of it," he said.
The mail facility processes all correspondence sent to the White House and to the Secret Service.

A small concentration of anthrax was detected on a mechanical device known as a "slitter," which is used to open mail, Fleischer said.

The facility has been closed for further testing and decontamination. All of its employees as well as workers at the mailroom on the White House grounds will be tested for anthrax.

Environmental tests at the White House have turned up negative for the bacteria.

Fleischer said the source of the anthrax was not immediately known and that all of the mail at the site would be tested. He would not disclose whether mail delivery to the White House had been suspended.