FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                         
October 26, 2003	                     
Contact: Dianne Todd 202-268-2000
www.usps.gov

POSTAL SERVICE COMPLETES REMOVAL OF CHLORINE DIOXIDE FROM TRENTON FACILITY, 
PREPARES FOR SAMPLING

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ - Last night, the Postal Service completed the 
"scrubbing" -- or removal -- of the chlorine dioxide used to decontaminate 
the Trenton Processing and Distribution Center. A re-entry team entered the 
facility this morning to begin evaluating the decontamination impacts on the 
building systems.

	Monday around 7:00 a.m., small teams of personnel in protective gear 
will enter the facility and begin the removal of thousands of spore strips 
from the building. They will also be taking thousands of environmental 
samples throughout the building.  The results of the samples will likely not 
be available until late February 2004.

	"Events exceeded everything we expected," said Tom Day, Postal 
Service Vice President of Engineering. "The scrubbing of the facility ran 
ahead of schedule. Measures to insure the safety of the nearby community 
and the personnel on-site worked. I can't say enough about how the 
cooperation among our state, federal and local agency partners helped make 
this operation run efficiently."

	Day said that protective measures will continue to be in place at 
the Trenton facility, including the complete sealing of the building, 
maintaining a secure perimeter around the plant and continuous air 
monitoring. 

The Trenton facility has been closed since October 18, 2001, after it was 
contaminated by anthrax spores released by letters processed there.

          Members of the community who have questions about the process 
can call a toll-free information line at 1-800-527-0741.  The deaf and 
hard of hearing can access the information line through TTY 
1-800-418-5301.  Additional information is available at  www.usps.com.  
Click on "News and Events," then "Serving the Community," then "Security 
of the Mail," for the fact sheets and answers to the most frequently asked 
questions.

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