Why were anthrax burial sites on Vozrozhdenya Island dangerous?

Vozrozhdenya Island, formerly a secret Soviet Union testing ground for biological weapons, became a significant environmental and health concern as the Aral Sea receded.

The burial sites were dangerous because hundreds of tons of live anthrax bacteria had been interred there during the 1980s. As the sea shrank, the island eventually connected to the mainland, increasing accessibility to these hazardous materials. The discovery of still-living anthrax spores at the site in 1999 highlighted the persistent threat posed by these biological agents. To mitigate this risk, a team from the United States conducted a cleanup of the burial sites in 2002.