There's little the post office can do to prevent someone from receiving materials contaminated with anthrax, the Directorate General of Posts said yesterday.
Fears of the deadly bacterium have spread worldwide, after four people in the US tested positive for anthrax.
Globally, there have been countless hoaxes and discoveries of suspicious letters that later turned out to be harmless.
According to Hsu Jung-chung (
With the approval of a prosecutor, investigators would be permitted to open mail to check the contents inside.
"The staff have a heightened sense of alertness," Hsu said. "For example, letters lacking a return address are not delivered."
In addition, an envelope or package whose weight doesn't correspond to its size will also be held.
Hsu said that postal workers have been trained to be on the lookout for hazardous materials, but until now the threat hasn't included anthrax. "Explosives were our major concern," Hsu said.
He said all packages are examined by X-ray in order to find hidden explosives. Suspicious parcels are turned over to police.
Police used to be stationed at major post offices nationwide but the practice was discontinued about a decade ago, Hsu said.
"In any case, no one can detect anthrax spores hidden inside mail unless you open and examine the mail," he said. "Preventing anthrax bacteria from being delivered is totally different from screening for explosives."
The postal service has designated special staff to deliver mail to top government officials after the items were inspected by X-ray. But because no one in the post office opens mailed items, it's impossible to prevent anthrax from being delivered.
The Directorate General of Posts said the public would have to be on guard to protect themselves from hazardous items sent by mail.
For example, residents should be wary of mail sent by strangers or without a return address.
In addition, items marked "restricted" or "confidential" should also be viewed with suspicion. Likewise packages or letters that appear to contain circuits, tinfoil or have a strange odor.
The post office said residents should contact police before opening any suspicious mail.
In recent days, postal workers have been handling international mail while wearing masks and gloves to avoid contact with any bacteria. Staff have also been encouraged to wash their hands with soap after handling mail.
On average about 3.5 million letters, parcels, packages and express items are mailed to Taiwan from abroad each month, according to the directorate's international mail center.
In December and January, the figure jumps by 1 million with the influx of cards and gifts for the Christmas and New Year holidays.
RSS