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CNN Saturday Morning News

Postal Employees Show Concern for Safety

Aired October 27, 2001 - 11:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The anthrax letters to Capitol Hill, as well as other locations, were postmarked Trenton, New Jersey. CNN's Brian Palmer is in Trenton this morning, where the search for the mailer is focused.

Good morning Brian.

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Kyra.

Law enforcement tells us that the investigation continues quietly. We're standing in front of the only mail facility where anthrax was confirmed to be detected here in Hamilton Township, the Trenton processing and distribution center for the United States Postal Service.

Now, some postal worker union representatives and some workers themselves have told us that they're concerned that the postal service and others who are in charge of investigating these incidents, and also assessing the risk, have not really paid enough attention to their concerns -- safety concerns. Some of these workers and some of these union representatives have been asking for, have been demanding treatment with Cipro, or testing.

Now, the CDC and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services saying there is no reliable test for exposure to anthrax; there's a reliable test for infection with anthrax.

So, that's where we are now in terms of the medical situation. The New Jersey -- the commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services has previously not been recommending precautionary dosages of antibiotics for people who may or may not have been exposed to anthrax -- postal workers may or may not have been exposed to anthrax.

But the department of health telling us this morning that they're reevaluating all of these positions based on whatever new information comes in on the investigations -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Brian Palmer thanks so much -- Martin.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: New York postal workers are threatening to go to court if the government doesn't shut down the main postal facility there where anthrax was found. CNN's Jason Carroll is watching this story -- Jason. JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Marty, the postal union is very serious about this. They say they will sue if the Morgan Processing Center is not shut down while an environmental threat is being conducted. This is the largest mail-processing center in Manhattan.

Health officials found traces of anthrax on four mail sorting machines on the third floor of this building. Those machines are being cleaned, they're being sterilized and retested before they will be put back into service. At least two anthrax-laced...

SAVIDGE: Jason, we are going to interrupt you right now, I'm sorry, because we want to get to this news conference that is underway regarding the spread of anthrax to another congressional building.

(INTERRUPTED BY CNN COVERAGE OF A LIVE EVENT)

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