Office or Environmental Health and Safety

Anthrax Advisory:

October 18, 2001
 

From:  Steve Langlois, Director of Environmental Health and Safety
To:      The Campus Community
 

September 11 and the events that followed, have unfortunately raised new fears and concerns within our society.  In recent days, a number of organizations around the country have received anthrax threat letters, some of which turned out to in fact contain live anthrax organisms.

In this context, we are urging employees to exercise caution when handling and opening mail.  But I would like to emphasize that there is no indication that our campus is at any particular risk.  The chance of the college being a target of this kind of attack is very small.

We have made disposable protective gloves available to employees who are responsible for sorting or opening mail.  Please understand that we are not recommending use of gloves, but simply offering them as an option at the employee's discretion.  To obtain gloves, contact Mary DeBriae at ext. 2793.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me at x 2252.

I would also like to share with you some information distributed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), on handling anthrax and other biological agent threats.  More information is available at the CDC’s web site at www.cdc.gov.  The U.S. Postal Service has also published information regarding this issue, at www.usps.com/news/2001/press/pr01_1010tips.htm.

Anthrax organisms can cause infection in the skin, gastrointestinal system, or the lungs.  To do, so the organism must come into contact with abraded skin, be swallowed, or inhaled as a fine, aerosolized mist.  Disease can be prevented after exposure to the anthrax spores by early treatment with the appropriate antibiotics.  Anthrax is not spread from one person to another person.  For anthrax to be effective as a covert agent, it must be aerosolized into very small particles.  This is very difficult to do, and requires a great deal of technical skill and special equipment.  If these small particles are inhaled, a life-threatening lung infection can occur, but again, prompt recognition and treatment are effective.

Vigilance and awareness is the best defense against mail containing any hazard, be it biological, toxic or explosive.  Characteristics of suspicious packages and letters may include one or more of the following:

• Excessive postage
• Handwritten or poorly typed addresses
• Incorrect titles, or addressed to individuals no longer associated with the organization
• Title, but no name, or misspelled name
• Misspellings of common words
• Oily stains, discoloration or odor
• No return address
• Excessive weight
• Lopsided or uneven envelope or package protruding wires or aluminum foil
• Excessive security material such as masking tape, string, etc.
• Visual distractions
• Ticking sound
• Marked with restrictive endorsements, such as "Personal" or "Confidential"
• Shows a city or state in the postmark that does not match the return address

If you receive a suspicious unopened letter or package:

    1.  Do not shake or empty the contents.
    2.  Place the envelope or package in a plastic trash bag, or other type of plastic container to prevent leakage.
    3.  If you do not have a container, cover the envelope or package with any available cover (clothing, paper, trash can, etc.).
    4.  Leave the room and close the door, or section off the area to prevent others from entering (i.e., keep others away).
    5.  WASH your hands with soap and water to prevent spreading any powder to your face.
    6.  Then call Campus Safety at x 2222 to report the situation.
    7.  Give Campus Safety the names of everyone who was in the room or area when the suspicious letter or package was  recognized.

If you open an envelope or package, and powder spills out:

    1.  Do not try to clean up the powder. Cover the spilled contents immediately with anything (clothing, paper, trash can, etc.)
    2.  Leave the room and close the door, and keep others from entering.
    3.  WASH your hands with soap and water to prevent spreading any powder to your face.
    4.  Then call Campus Safety at x 2222 to report the situation.
    5.  Remove contaminated clothing as soon as possible and place in a plastic bag, or some other container that can be sealed.  Contaminated articles and clothing should be given to emergency responders for proper handling.
    6.  Shower with soap and water as soon as possible.  Do not use bleach or other disinfectant on your skin.
    7.  Provide a list of everyone who was in the room or area to Campus Safety.