Steve Bloom/The Olympian
In response to the anthrax scare, Olympia postal employee Joe Velasco wears protective gloves and a mask. He now uses a vacuum to clean equipment to reduce the risk that any anthrax would spread to other surfaces.

Anthrax attacks brought security awareness

Biohazard safety items selling less after threat eases

SCOTT WYLAND THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Monday, March 11, 2002

THURSTON COUNTY -- The anthrax scare that reached a crescendo several months ago has abated, though some aftereffects can still be seen.

The spate of spore-tainted letters was an unsettling follow-up to the Sept. 11 attacks, prompting many businesses and people to buy gloves and face masks for employees who handle mail.

But the biggest legacy has turned out to be heightened awareness about safety.

"We are better prepared," said Ron Kusunose, Olympia's postmaster. "We have precautions in place to handle suspicious materials."

New procedures

Before the anthrax incidents on the East Coast, there were no formal procedures for responding to contaminated mail, Kusunose said. Now, if a suspicious item is spotted -- for instance, a letter leaking powder -- the site would be evacuated and public safety officials notified.

The item also would be delivered quickly to a laboratory for testing, he said.

Gloves and masks were first made available to postal workers during the height of the anthrax threat, Kusunose said.

A few months ago, some employees would wear the protective gear for an entire shift, Kusunose said. "But not so much anymore. I do think things are getting back to normal."

The U.S. Postal Service made one noticeable change: Workers now vacuum instead of blow dust from mail-scanning machines.

Blowing equipment was blamed in part for spreading anthrax spores at the Brentwood plant in Washington, D.C., killing two postal workers. The spores were believed to have leaked from an anthrax-laced letter mailed to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.

Kusunose said employees who clean dust from machines usually wear protective masks while they're doing the work.

'Gone for now'

A Lacey protective gear supplier received a flurry of orders for masks and gloves in response to the anthrax incidents last fall. But far fewer businesses now are buying gear to safeguard against bioterrorism, said Tooradj "Tony" Akhavan, owner of Washington Trade International Inc.

"That scare is gone for now," Akhavan said.

The number of orders related to biohazard protection has fallen to about 10 percent of what it was a few months ago, Akhavan said.

Most of the purchases come from the post office, he said.

FedEx has had detailed safety guidelines in place for years, including how to react to a suspicious parcel.

After Sept. 11 and the anthrax scare, the carrier boosted its internal security and increased the amount of safety training it gives employees, FedEx spokesman Jim McCluskey said.

"Just like everyone else, it's raised our level of awareness," McCluskey said.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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