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Ricin Scare Prompts Concern for Post Office Safety Measures Capitol Hill endured another terrorism scare when mail sent to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist was found to contain the dangerous pathogen ricin. In response, JW demanded that the U.S. Postal Service disclose safety measures put into place to protect postal workers who may have come into contact with contaminated mail. Judicial Watch represents 2,300 U.S. Postal Workers from the former Brentwood Postal Facility who were exposed to anthrax during the terrorist attacks of October 2001. U.S. Postal Officials ignored safety protocols and forced postal workers to continue processing mail even though the officials knew the facility was contaminated. Two employees, Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, died from inhalation of anthrax, while many others suffered other physical maladies resulting from exposure. "During the anthrax attacks, two innocent postal workers died and many were injured due to the failure to act by Postal Service officials," said JW President Tom Fitton. "Let's hope lessons were learned and the proper steps have been taken to protect lives." Sidebar: According to notes taken by Brentwood facility plant manager Timothy Haney during the anthrax attacks of 2001, on October 16, 2001, "When we left the meeting, I pulled [Senior U.S.P.S. Vice President Deborah Wilhite] aside and let her know that the mail was leaking and that we were affected." The Brentwood facility remained open through October 21. Ricin is a colorless, odorless poison that can be readily distilled into small quantities from castor beans and which has no known antidote.
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