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Notice to Readers: Interim Recommendations for Protecting Workers
from Exposure to Bacillus anthracis in Work Sites in which Mail is Handled
or Processed
CDC has developed interim recommendations to assist personnel responsible
for occupational health and safety in developing a comprehensive program to
reduce potential cutaneous or inhalational exposures to
Bacillus anthracis spores among workers in work sites in which mail is handled or processed. Such work sites
include post offices, mail distribution/handling centers, bulk mail centers, air mail
facilities, priority mail processing centers, public and private mail rooms, and other settings
in which workers are responsible for handling and processing mail.
The recommendations are based on the limited information available on methods to
avoid infection and on the effectiveness of various prevention strategies.
These recommendations will be updated as new information becomes available.
The recommendations are divided into the following hierarchical
categories describing measures that should be implemented in distribution/handling centers
to prevent potential exposures to B.
anthracis spores:
Engineering controls to prevent or capture aerosolized spores
Administrative controls to limit the number of persons potentially exposed
to spores
Housekeeping controls to further reduce the spread of spores
Personal protective equipment for workers to prevent cutaneous
and inhalational exposure to spores
These control measures should be selected on the basis of an initial work
site evaluation that focuses on determining which processes, operations, jobs, or
tasks would be most likely to result in an exposure if a contaminated envelope or
package enters the work site. The complete interim recommendations are available at
<http://www.bt.cdc.gov>.
Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.
References to non-CDC sites on the Internet are
provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply
endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content
of pages found at these sites.
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