Illinois to sue companies for marketing anthrax tests

CHICAGO -- Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan says two Las Vegas companies are capitalizing on bioterrorism fears by marketing what he calls bogus anthrax tests, and he is suing them.

Ryan announced Friday lawsuits against companies calling themselves The Right Solution and Early Detection Services. The Right Solution's Web site offers a $50 ultraviolet light that's purported to be able to detect anthrax. Early Detection Services sells a $150 mail-in nasal swab.

Ryan said his staff, including medical adviser Mary Blanks, has determined the tests are ineffective.

"It's obvious there are some people willing to take advantage of the Sept. 11 attacks," Ryan said at a news conference in his Chicago office.

A representative of The Right Solution did not return phone calls seeking response. A phone number listed on Early Detection Services' Web site was not in service, and the company has no other Las Vegas listing.

Ryan's staff filed civil lawsuits in Sangamon County seeking to block further Internet marketing and collect unspecified civil penalties and restitution for any Illinois residents who may have ordered the tests.

Ryan said his staff began surfing the Web for potential fraud after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the following anthrax scare.