Irradiated Letters Latest Cause of Concern

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January 28, 2002

Mail Sparks Fears

Irradiated Letters Latest Cause of Concern

By Mark Preston

The Senate Sergeant-at-Arms has formed a task force to investigate new

health concerns after staffers in at least six Senate offices complained of

headaches, nausea and a tingling sensation in their hands after handling

irradiated mail.

So far, the task force has found no evidence that the mail is the cause of

the staffers' symptoms, Sergeant-at-Arms Alfonso Lenhardt said.

" There is no clinical evidence that we have been able to detect to say there

is a reaction to it, " Lenhardt said. " We can't detect anything. "

In a parallel investigation, the Environmental Protection Agency's internal

watchdog office launched an inquiry last week to determine if the agency

succumbed to political pressure and rushed the opening of the Hart Senate

Office Building before it was safe to be reoccupied.

Hugh Kaufman, a spokesman for EPA National Ombudsman , said

people working in Hart are " potentially being put at a health risk " because

it has not been determined if there are deadly contaminants in the air.

" I don't think there has been adequate air monitoring to determine the

risks, " Kaufman said.

Kaufman suggested that high levels of chlorine dioxide and " other

contaminants you would expect to be created when chlorine dioxide comes in

contact with metal, fiber, wood and carpet to create other pollutants " could

still be present in the Hart building.

Bonnie Piper, an EPA spokeswoman, said the agency remained " confident of our

techniques to remediate the Hart Building. "

Joe Martyak, another EPA spokesman, dismissed Kaufman's claims, saying he

does not know " what other potential contaminants he can be talking about.

" We have no reason to believe that there is any truth in what they are

saying, " Martyak added.

has asked two EPA offices to detail the steps they took to ensure

that no contaminants were in the air and to produce a copy of the results

from the air quality tests taken in Hart by Wednesday.

When Hart reopened last week after being shuttered for three months, a

strong chlorine odor in the building caused several people to complain of

headaches and dizziness. The smell was attributed to the chlorine dioxide

gas used to scrub the building of anthrax spores that were released from a

letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Daschle (D-S.D.).

Even as several staffers complained of headaches associated with the

chlorine smell last week, Daschle said Friday that he feels " completely safe

in Hart. "

" I feel that way in large measure because we followed to the " T " the

recommendations made by the EPA and the Centers for Disease Control, " said

Daschle. " I think they were right then; I still think they are right now. "

Several other Senators who have offices in Hart echoed Daschle's comment,

although many said they welcome an inquiry if there is a question that Hart

is not safe to inhabit.

" You always let the facts come out, " said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). " If they

feel they have credible evidence to look into it, I think that is very

appropriate. "

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) acknowledged that the Congress " put a good deal

of pressure to get this building open, " but added " we believed it was open

in a safe condition.

" If there is any reason to believe that it isn't then we would want to take

a serious look at that, " he said.

" We are going to be watching it very carefully, " added Sen. Barbara Boxer

(D-Calif.).

The task force to examine the claims of sickness arising from the irradiated

mail was formed two weeks ago by Lenhardt after several people reported

" minor reactions. "

" That is enough for me to say 'Let's form a task force to look into this,' "

said Lenhardt, who added that representatives from the Attending Physician's

Office, EPA, Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Postal Service all serve

on the panel. A representative from the House is also expected to sit on the

task force.

" This is a safety issue, " he said. " We are trying to protect our staff and

Members of Congress. "

After the anthrax letter arrived in Daschle's office, all mail to Capitol

Hill was halted and it now is being treated by the Postal Service at

facilities in Lima, Ohio and Bridgeport, N.J., before it is delivered to

Congressional offices.

The delay in mail arriving on Capitol Hill has caused another kind of

headache for many Members who must now explain to their constituents the

slow turnaround time to their inquiries.

" Although mail delivery was recently resumed to the Senator's office,

anthrax-related delays are still ongoing, " read a statement released Friday

by Sen. 's (R-Va.) office. " In fact, the mail that is being

delivered to the Senator's office is not current mail, but rather mail from

October and November. Unfortunately, it is highly likely that some of the

mail sent during this time has been destroyed. "

Still for many Senate offices the wait is worth it if it ensures the mail is

safe to handle. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said that two of her

staffers have become ill after handling the mail and she was planning Friday

to send a letter to Daschle outlining her concerns.

" Some of our staff in handling the irradiated mail has had some reaction to

it, specifically our office manager and chief of staff, " she said, adding the

adverse reactions ranged from " headaches to tingling fingers. "

A spokesman for Sen. Leahy confirmed that aides working for the

Vermont Democrat have experienced similar reactions, but expressed hope that

it would soon be cleared up. Leahy was also the target of an anthrax-laced

letter that was stopped in the mail system before being delivered to his

office.

" This is new territory for everyone, " said Carle, Leahy's spokesman.

" Sharing information is important as we all feel our way forward, and the

task force is a welcome response. "

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