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University issues guidelines
for handling suspicious mail
Dave Stephens
Assistant
Campus Editor
Purdue has issued guidelines advising its employees
to take precautions when opening and handling suspicious mail packages.
The guidelines were released in the wake of anthrax
exposure incidents that have recently taken place across the country.
"The risk is very, very minimal," said Carol Shelby,
senior director of environmental health and public safety. "It is very
rare for incidents like those that have happened in other parts of the
country to take place. Quite frankly, our mail is handled several times
here before it gets to the end addressee."
Shelby, who issued the guidelines, said the rules
were really put in place to provide awareness about the problem.
The guidelines call for using caution when dealing
with suspicious mail, including mail that is addressed to people no
longer in the department to which the letter is addressed, has no return
address, shows a city or a state in the return address that does not
match the postmark or has an unusual weight based on its size. Other
criteria for suspicious mail includes unexpected mail or packages from
a person or source unfamiliar to you.
"A person needs to be reasonable when they get
a package," said Shelby. "Certainly the alumni office or the Registrar's
office receives mail from many unknown sources all the time, but those
letters aren't considered to be dangerous."
The guidelines also give details about how to handle
a package if it is thought to be suspicious. The guidelines emphasize
not opening packages thought to be suspicious, and to call police immediately.
The guidelines instruct that if the letter or package
has been opened to set down and isolate the package, taking care to
touch as little of the tampered material as necessary. Moving to an
area of minimum exposure, not allowing others to come in contact with
the package and washing hands with soap and water are additional guidelines.
Cpt. Ron Fosnaugh of the Purdue Police Department
said that Purdue officers have received training to handle biological
and hazardous chemical threats, but that so far have poised no problems
at Purdue.
"You have to look at things rationally, if there's
suspicious packages then we’ll use the appropriate caution, but
basically we're telling people to just be on the lookout and use common
sense," Fosnaugh said.
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CAMPUS DESK PHONE:
(765)
743-1111 ext. 253
Campus editor:
Laura Pelner
Assistant campus
editors: Kurt Esposito,
Dave Stephens
To
send a letter to the editor, please email campus@purdueexponent.org
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