December 1, 2001 In October, when the first confirmed case of anthrax was reported as having been delivered via mail, the United States Postal Service quickly turned its attention to protecting its employees. Gloves, masks, laboratory testing and antibiotics, as needed, were the first steps. For a longer term solution to the problem of mail-borne contaminants, it was agreed that using HEPA vacuums in postal facilities will become the first line of defense. The reason for requiring HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuums rather than conventional industrial vacuums has to do with the size of the anthrax spores, which measure less than 5 microns in size (1 micron = 1 x 10-6m)

Join for free to read