Q. Is the mail I receive in my mailbox safe?
A. Educating our customers about this important subject is one of the best ways we can help them to stay safe. The Postal Service has mailed a post card to every household in America. It contains easy-to-understand information on how to identify, and what to do with, a suspicious mail piece.

Q. Are the employees at my post office afraid to come to work?
A. The employees at local post offices are taking it day by day and doing everything they can to keep themselves and customers safe. The Postal Service has sent a postcard to all employees about how to safely handle mail. Postal Service employees know how important it is to America – our way of life, our freedom, our economy – to keep the mail moving.

Q. Will my mail be delayed?
A. At this time, there may be some delays depending on the destination of the mail piece. Please remember the Postal Service is doing everything possible to ensure the safety and security of employees and customers.

Q. How has the current closure of the Brentwood facility affected mail delivery in Washington, DC? Does a letter normally requiring 3 days for delivery now require 5 or 6?
A. No. There have been some delays due to the additional security precautions, but mail for the District of Columbia is now being processed at two nearby facilities.

Q. Are you going to shut down the mail?
A. The Postal Service is taking every possible precaution to protect the health and safety of the public and its employees, and doing that while keeping the mail moving. Some offices have been closed for environmental testing, and a very small number of offices will remain closed until they are sanitized. However, the mail processing activities, and the employees who performed them, have been relocated to other sites. The mail is an indispensable part of life – it is vitally important to the American economy and to individual freedom. The Postal Service will not allow terrorists to stop it.

Q. Are you considering any restrictions or limitations on mail delivery in certain areas?
A. No. We are not. As long as medical experts tell us that the general public is not being exposed to an unmanageable risk, we will keep the mail moving. At the same time, we will do everything possible to protect our employees, who are the first line of defense in this war against terror.

Q. What’s the latest on the investigative front – any new developments in tracing the origins of any of the contaminated letters?
A. We’re not providing details of the ongoing investigation, but we are making progress. Working with the FBI, we are exploring a number of leads. If anyone has any information, you can provide it by calling 1-800-CRIME-TV or at www.amw.com.

Q. What should I do if I find a letter or package to be suspicious?
A. If you get a package or piece of mail that you're suspicious of, the first thing to do is stay calm. Don't handle, shake, bump, or sniff the suspicious item. Notify your local law enforcement authorities right away. Isolate the mail piece and keep others away from the area. If possible, put the mail piece in a zip-locked plastic bag and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. The simple act of paying attention to your incoming mail is the best way to keep the mail safe. For updated information on the safety and security of the mail, please visit our web site at www.usps.com.

Q. Is the mail nationwide running slower due to the anthrax scares?
A. We are aware of no systemic delays due to the anthrax incidents.

Q. What’s being done to ensure that mail items won’t be damaged by the sanitization technology that the Postal Service is using?
A. The Postal Service is working with the mailing industry to develop procedures to ensure that sanitization of the mail will not damage sensitive items in the mail. Sanitization technology is currently being tested on a wide range of film products, digital and magnetic storage devices, laboratory samples, food and plant products, and “smart” credit cards with embedded chips to ensure that all business mail can be safely processed through the postal system.

Q. Is the sanitization technology that the Postal Service is currently using safe? Can it be used on food products in the mail?
A. The first commercial irradiator was used in the 1960s to kill any lingering anthrax germs in lambswool sweaters. Though safe to people, it will kill germs, biological substances and any DNA, and can damage chemicals. Electron beam technology is currently used in food processing. It is not based on nuclear radiation and is considered safe.

Q. How is mail sanitization being conducted?
A. The Postal Service is using a three-tier approach is for sanitizing the mail:

1. Immediate action - Using available off-site facilities to decontaminate.
2. Short-term action - Identifying key postal locations for the centralized processing and sanitization of mail.
3. Long-term action - Identifying and building into existing processes sanitization equipment that is completely safe for employees and customers.

Q. Has mail transport equipment (trays, sacks and rolling stock) been decontaminated? Does the Postal Service identify and decontaminate equipment that may have had contact with a contaminated letter or parcel? What steps has the Postal Service taken to ensure the security and integrity of mail containers in general?
A. Postal Service facilities, including the Mail Transport Equipment Service Centers (MTESC), are following established procedures to inspect all mail transport equipment and notify the appropriate agencies as necessary. In instances where there is a confirmed exposure, the equipment is decontaminated. In instances where the material is unknown but suspect, the Postal Service treats the scene as a HAZMAT instance, isolating equipment until a determination is made of the nature of the suspect material.

Q. What happens to the mail that is in-house when a plant is closed? Is it sanitized? If so, how long does this take? Can the Postal Service provide information on how much mail is in-house and how long it will be delayed?
A. Mail is held on site when a plant closes. The Postal Service will not be allowed into the facility until cleared by the CDC and/or appropriate local health officials. No specific timetable can be determined because each instance is unique in nature.

Q. What will it cost the Postal Service to deal with anthrax?
A. Costs include, but are not limited to: testing and treating employees, safety equipment for employees, sanitization of the mail, and testing and decontamination of postal facilities. The White House has authorized $175 million for the Postal Service to purchase masks and gloves for postal employees and sanitization equipment for processing mail. On November 8, Postmaster General Jack Potter testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Treasury & Postal Affairs to ask for a one-time appropriation of up to $2 billion to help offset the unanticipated decline in mail volume this year. In addition, Potter said the Postal Service is asking Congress to provide about $3 billion to help cover one-time direct costs, including the purchase of sanitization equipment; and the testing, cleaning and restoration of NY facilities lost or damaged in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Q. How can customers get updated information about facility closing and service impacts resulting from anthrax contamination?
A. The most up-to-date information can be found in the Mail Facility/Service Updates page of the special section dedicated to security of the mail on the U.S. Postal Service website at http://www.usps.com/news/2001/press/mailsecurity/updates.htm.


Q. Where can I find information on keeping mailrooms safe from anthrax threats?
A. The U.S. Postal Service website features a General Services Administration (GSA) training module with information on how to respond to an anthrax threat in a mailroom, which is available at http://www.usps.com/news/2001/press/serviceupdates.htm. The module lays out actions that can be taken if there is a potential anthrax threat in a mailroom, including countermeasures for staff to defend and protect against these threats.


Q. I use ink-drying processes that sometimes leave a residual powder on the mail. Will the Postal Service still accept my mailing?
A. If it is determined that the powder is a substance that is normally used in these processes such as cornstarch, then yes. However, in an effort reduce the number of “false calls” related to anthrax contamination concerns, many printers and mail preparation centers have voluntarily stopped using ink-drying and wrapping processes that are known to leave residual powder.