United States Postal Service: Information on the Irradiation of Federal Mail in the Washington, D. C. , AreaIn Oct. 2001, spores of the deadly bacterium anthrax were found in mail sent to members of the news media and congressional leaders. In all, 22 people were infected with anthrax and 5 people died, including 2 postal workers. The U.S. Postal Service took a variety of steps to protect people from biohazards in the mail. For ex., it began contracting for the irradiation of mail to recipients at the Congress, the White House, and fed. agencies with specific ZIP Codes (20201 through 20597) in the Wash., D.C., area. This report describes: the vol. of mail irradiated and how the vol. has changed; the cost of irradiating mail and how the cost has changed; and the extent to which irradiation delays mail deliveries and how these delivery delays have changed. Illus. |
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$7 million appropriation 2001 through April According to Service Accountability addition Additional delays affect agents analysis anthrax incident April 30 arrives audit available data average backlogged biohazard boxes of mail caused changed complete congressional cont'd continuing contract contractor costs Cost of Irradiating D.C. federal mail damaged decide decline delay mail delivering delivering irradiated determined discussed early facility in Washington factors federal agencies Finally First-Class Mail funds further GAO Briefing indicate individual infrequent initially Integrity irradiating D.C. federal irradiation facility Irradiation of Federal irradiation process loads of mail longer mail containers mail deliveries mail irradiated mail preparation facility mailpieces months November objectives obtained occurred October options packing errors parcels payment performing period personnel possible Postal Service reasonable receive Reliability resulted returned Scorched Service officials Service's mail preparation Slides solicitation Source standards Summary totes trailer loads typically volume of mail ZIP Codes