{
  "id": "RL31280",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL31280",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 100667,
      "date": "2002-06-05",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:09:25.612941",
      "title": "The U.S. Postal Service Response to the Threat of Bioterrorism Through the Mail",
      "summary": "The deliberate mailing of  Bacillus anthracis  spores through the U.S. Postal Service\n(USPS) has\ncaused five deaths, twenty-two cases of anthrax, and massive disruptions to Congress and the USPS. \n  Both the public and private sector are examining an array of methods to limit the risk of future\nattacks. The array of potential solutions include improving mail handling procedures, changing the\nUSPS anonymous mailing policy, installing bio/chem agent detectors, and sterilizing the mail. \n  For the USPS these decisions are complicated by its precarious financial state. Some proposed\nsolutions may require an increase in postage rates and/or decreased levels of service. Each of these\nmay further depress postal revenues and threaten the continued existence of the USPS as an\nindependent, self-supporting entity. \n  Policymakers may wish to consider if the USPS must ensure the safety of mail recipients. At\nthis point it is not clear if this is practical or even possible with existing technology. It may be that\nit is practical to protect only the mail addressed to the most likely targets of future attacks.\n  Some of the measures that the USPS has taken or is planning to take to protect postal workers\nand mail recipients are common sense alterations to the mail processing procedures. These include\nmeasures to reduce cross contamination such as using vacuuming instead of pressurized air to\ndislodge dust and adding filters to air handling systems. The USPS is studying the feasibility of\nincluding biological weapon detectors during the sorting process. Additionally, the USPS has made\ngloves, masks, and educational materials available to all postal workers.\n  More controversial and potentially more costly are plans to sterilize the mail. Currently, all\nmail destined for federal offices in the Washington DC metropolitan area is shipped to a sterilization\nfacility for irradiation treatment before delivery. The USPS is studying whether this solution can be\nscaled up to sterilize all mail from anonymous senders. To implement irradiation procedures\nnationwide could cost up to $2.25 billion with up to another billion dollars each year in operating\ncosts. This procedure will cause delays and may damage the contents of some mail. \n  Also controversial and costly are plans to increase product tracking systems that will include\nvideo images of all retail transactions. The planned system will enable mail dropped off at post\noffices to be tracked through to delivery and linked to facial images of senders. Mail dropped off\nat anonymous collection sites will be traceable to the drop off point. Stamps and envelopes could\nalso be encoded with purchase location information.\n  Policymakers face a difficult balance to strike between concerns for safety, cost, and practicality\nwhile deciding how to alter the practices of the USPS. This report will be updated as events\nwarrant.",
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      "typeId": "REPORTS",
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    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs2744/",
      "id": "RL31280 2002-02-11",
      "date": "2002-02-11",
      "retrieved": "2005-06-11T09:37:41",
      "title": "The U.S. Postal Service Response to the Threat of Bioterrorism Through the Mail",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Executive departments",
          "name": "Executive departments"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Biological weapons",
          "name": "Biological weapons"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Terrorism",
          "name": "Terrorism"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "U.S. Postal Service",
          "name": "U.S. Postal Service"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Weapons systems",
          "name": "Weapons systems"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "International affairs",
          "name": "International affairs"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Criminal justice",
          "name": "Criminal justice"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Business",
          "name": "Business"
        }
      ]
    }
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  "topics": []
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