(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today called for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to disclose the safety measures it has enacted to protect USPS workers and the general public from the threat posed by mail containing the ricin pathogen reportedly contaminating the office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

Senate office buildings were closed to workers and visitors as part of an investigation of powder found about 3 p.m. Monday in a mailroom attached to Frist's office. There have been no public reports of illness, injury or of individuals showing symptoms of ricin poisoning, such as respiratory distress, fever and nausea. Ricin, is a colorless, odorless poison that can be readily distilled in small quantities from castor beans and which has no known antidote. The V Street Post Office, that services Capitol Hill, was reportedly closed as a precautionary measure. Mail sent to Congress is irradiated; however, radiation does not affect ricin.

Judicial Watch represents 2300 U.S. Postal Workers from the former Brentwood Postal Facility who were exposed to the deadly anthrax pathogen in October 2001. Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris Jr. died from inhalation anthrax they contracted working with mail in the contaminated Brentwood facility. USPS officials kept workers on duty in the facility knowing it was contaminated with anthrax.

“During the anthrax attacks, two innocent postal workers died and many were injured due to the failure to act by Postal Service officials. Let’s hope lessons have been learned and the proper steps have been taken to protect lives,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.