Wary mail workers With nine confirmed cases of anthrax on the mainland, federal officials recently sought to calm the nerves of those who handle letters and packages in Hawaii, some of whom say the threat of bioterrorism waged through the mail has them on edge.
and Hawaii reassured
The postal inspector says the state
is not a terror target, and
tells what to watch forBy Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.com"We are kind of tense," said a First Circuit Court documents clerk, who now wears latex gloves to open the huge volume of mail she deals with daily.
Large companies and governmental agencies such as the state Judiciary recently invited representatives from the FBI and the U.S. Postal Service to speak to mailroom workers and others who open mail.
"The probability is extremely low that you will get anthrax mail," U.S. Postal Inspector Kathryn Derwey told a packed courtroom of Judiciary employees, trying to allay their fears. "Hawaii is not a target."
District Judge Leslie Ann Hayashi said she opens her own mail, as do other judges, and realizes she could be a target, though not necessarily by terrorists.
"We've received threatening mail we've turned over to the AG's (attorney general's) office and the police," Hayashi said. "We don't make people happy."
At last week's briefing, probation officer Helen Rauer asked FBI agents about the accessibility to anthrax. She said she is more concerned with copycat acts perpetrated by clientele, rather than terrorists.
"The message I got is that anthrax is available," Rauer said.
She also plans to be more cautious with an envelope that is well sealed: "If I'm not able to open it with a letter opener, my level of suspicion will rise."
Derwey said those who have sent anthrax have made sure the envelopes were well sealed to ensure it goes to the intended recipients.
"You have to think like a terrorist," Derwey said. Anything with a postage meter stamp could be traced and is therefore unlikely to pose a threat, she added.
Joyce Hidani-Tamon, a clerk with the Judicial Services Division at Honolulu District Court, handles a considerable volume of mail but has not had anything suspicious yet.
"I think I'm more careful," she said. "I think just being aware really helps."
She said workers are told not to accept anything in a sealed hand-delivered envelope, unless it has a return address such as an attorney's office, but not a personal address.
Cori Lofton, a Traffic Violations Bureau clerk, said she never wears the latex gloves provided to open the mail, and does not intend to.
"There haven't been any cases (in Hawaii), so there's really nothing to worry about," she said.
Derwey told the Judiciary employees that the perpetrators of the anthrax mail have targeted those in the media and Congress, so they should have nothing to worry about.
Those in the media say they do not necessarily feel threatened.
Jim McCoy, KHON news director, said he would be more concerned with an anthrax hoax because the Fire Department's hazardous-materials unit might want to shut down the newsroom, and "you can't get a newscast out."
KHON and KITV already have had anthrax scares in the adjoining residential sections of their buildings at Hawaiki Tower and One Archer Lane.
When KITV's building was being quarantined because of a possible anthrax threat, Mike Rosenberg, president and general manager of KITV, said officials were confident there would be no risk to employees because the station does not share the residential unit's air-conditioning system.
"Our priority was to put on the 10 o'clock newscast," he said.
Concerning the mail, Rosenberg said they follow the same advice from their home office that everyone else has.
"Anything that is in any way suspicious is placed in a plastic bag, and we'll go from there," he said. Employees have been asked not to have personal mail delivered to the station to lessen the volume of mail.
McCoy admitted he was even a little wary about a Boss's Day card placed on his desk.
"Like every other media organization, we're taking precautions," he said.
At the state Capitol, mailroom employees are using gloves to handle mail, according to House Sergeant-at-Arms Frank Arakaki.
"The person that's handling the mail, we ask them to use surgical gloves in the event" a suspicious package arrives, he said. "We don't expect any but we don't know, right?"
University of Hawaii spokesman Jim Manke said employees who handle mail have been briefed on how to deal with suspicious packages, but added that the mail is screened by the post office before it is delivered to the university.
The university had a scare and called the environmental health and safety department a few weeks ago when an unexpected package from Spain arrived containing garlic powder, Manke said.
Gary Dias, Queen's Medical Center manager of security, said that the staff has been alerted to advisories that were put out by the hospital's health care association and the FBI.
Employees have the option to wear gloves or surgical masks, Dias said.
"What we don't want to do," Dias said, "is cause any panic among anyone in our hospital."
