In light of the recent nuclear events in Japan, the Postal Service has implemented safety measures at International Service Centers (ISCs) to prevent employees and postal customers from exposure to radiation from incoming international mail.
Postal inspectors, along with Customs and Border Protection Officers, have direct responsibility for monitoring international mail to ensure that it does not present a health risk and is safe for processing, the Postal Service reported.
On March 16, the USPS informed the union that radiation detection alarms were triggered at the New York and San Francisco ISCs, indicating a low-level exposure risk. Inspections of these facilities were conducted, and it was determined that it was safe for employees to return to work.
The USPS reported that both facilities showed radiation levels equivalent to x-ray exposure, and would not pose a safety hazard to workers.
The Postal Service issued a mandatory Stand-Up Talk on March 17 [PDF]. The union is actively monitoring and in communication with the Postal Service, and has requested notification of developments with this issue, said Mike Morris, APWU’s Director of Industrial Relations.
Please visit www.apwu.org for additional information as it becomes available
Sirs, Is this not the same situation that the airline piolots and flight attendants complained of ? Continous exposure to x-rays is dangerous as witnessed by the fact the x-ray technicians go behind lead lined walls when giving an x-ray. They also take the precaution of covering your internal organs with a lead lined vest to prevent any unnecessary exposure.
The postal workers are not being given any protective gear despite being exposed to irradiated mail. Although the Post Office is supposedly “monitoring” the situation, they were the same people who allowed the anthrax deaths to occur.
Do NOT trust the Post Office to protect you.