ALEXANDRIA — A 1996 Highlands High School graduate working in Washington, D.C., was among the hundreds of federal employees tested for anthrax exposure after spores were detected in a letter delivered Monday to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.

        Russ Kelly, 23, works for the Democratic Technology & Communications Committee, the electronic press office for the Senate's Democratic leadership. He works in the Hart Senate Office Building and is one floor above the office of Mr. Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat.

        Reached Tuesday, Mr. Kelly, who has worked in Washington about a year, confirmed he had been tested. However, he said he could not comment further because other Hart office employees were still being tested.

        Dan Kelly of Alexandria, Ky., Mr. Kelly's father, said he talked to his son Monday after hearing about the anthrax-tainted letter.

“He told me he believes he is going to test negative and that he'll be fine,” Dan Kelly said Tuesday. “In fact, Russ told me none of the people tested for anthrax came up positive. Only the letter was positive.”

        A woman who worked in Russ Kelly's office was in Mr. Daschle's office when the letter was opened. She did not handle the letter but after it was opened she left Mr. Daschle's office and returned to where Mr. Kelly works.

        “As a precaution, they tested everybody who was anywhere near the letter or near people who were close to the letter,” Dan Kelly said. “They tested his clothes, used a swab to take a sample from his nose and put him on antibiotics.

        “I was a little concerned. You always are for your kids,” he said “But you know kids. They think they are invincible. He's taking it seriously, but he's convinced he's going to be OK.”

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