Irradiated Mail Causes Health Complaints

Federal employees contacted in an informal survey of 10 agencies reported complaints related to irradiated mail including headaches, burning or puffy eyes, raspy throats, dizziness, skin irritation and nausea, according to a congressional report that focused primarily on similar effects on Capitol Hill employees from similar treatment of mail there in wake of last fall’s anthrax incidents. The report said that a survey by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found results ranging from no complaints among employees at several agencies contacted to 20 complaints at the State Department. The report emphasized that the OSHA survey was only informal and not a scientific analysis and said there are “many possible reasons for the differing results in different executive branch agencies, such as different processes for handling mail and different quantities of mail.” Most of the problems occurred soon after agencies began irradiating mail.