General Tool Safety

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Anthrax Awareness and Mail Handler Safety Training
Anthrax Safety Training course
Office of Engineering Safety Texas Engineering
Experiment Station (TEES) The Dwight Look
College of Engineering
A safe, healthful, and secure environment for
scholarship and research.
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Our Goals

• The mission of the Office of Engineering Safety
  is to ensure a safe healthful environment for
  scholarship research.
• Purpose
• To that end, the purpose of this training is to
  abate the risk of unnecessary exposure, by
  increasing awareness of hazards and the tools
  techniques to prevent potential exposure.

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Biological Warfare (BW) Agents

• History
• Oldest of the NBC Triad of Agents
• Nuclear, Biological Chemical (NBC)
• Used for gt 2,000 years
• Used in sieges of middle ages
• Smallpox blankets given to Native Americans
• Germany in World War I
• Japan in World War II

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Why Anthrax for Terrorism?

• Agents are readily available
• Agents are relatively easy to manufacture
• Large amount not needed in enclosed space
• Stores indefinitely
• Incident difficult to recognize
• Easily spread over large areas
• Psychological impact
• Can overwhelm existing resources

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Potential Terrorist Targets

• Enclosed spaces
• Urban areas
• Large crowds (high profile events)
• Critical facilities and infrastructure
• Accessible facilities with significant hazard /
  damage potential (materials in transit)
• Facilities of interest to terrorists cause

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Intent of Terrorism

• A classic model of economic efficiency
• To produce the maximum fear stress
• With the least expenditure of effort expense

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Anthrax

• Fact
• Not contagious
• Very Rare--chances of getting infected are the
  same as they were before all the recent news
  stories
• Almost always successfully treated when caught in
  the early stages of the infection
• Fiction
• It cant happen to us
• NBC agents are so deadly the victims will all die
  anyway
• There is nothing we can do

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Aerosol / Infectivity Relationship
Infection Severity
Particle Size (Micron, Mass Median Diameter)
The ideal aerosol contains a homogeneous
population of 2 or 3 micron particulates that
contain one or more viable organisms Maximum
human respiratory infection is a particle that
falls within the 1 to 5 micron size
Less Severe More Severe
18-20 15-18 7-12 4-6 (bronchioles) 1-5
(alveoli)
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Anthrax - Microbiology

• Bacillus anthracis gram , spore-forming
  bacillus
• Endemic infection in animals
• Humans develop infection naturally from handling
  contaminated fluids or hides (Woolsorters
  Disease)

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Cutaneous Anthrax

• Enters through cut/abrasion on skin
• Usually occur within 7 days
• 95 of infections
• Symptoms
• Raised itchy bump ? vesicle ? painless ulcer with
  a black center
• Reddish brown sore that breaks open and forms a
  scab
• Deaths are rare with treatment (1)
• Can be spread by physical contact

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Anthrax Pictures
Day 7 Anthrax
Early Stage Anthrax
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Anthrax Pictures
Anthrax
Healing Anthrax
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Inhalation Anthrax

• In the lungs and respiratory system
• Person-to-person transmission has never been
  confirmed
• 1 to 6 day incubation period
• Resemble cold symptoms, except no runny nose
• Fever chills general discomfort, uneasiness, or
  ill feeling
• Headache nausea vomiting, shortness of breath
  cough
• Congestion of the nose throat, pneumonia
• Joint stiffness joint pain
• Initial improvement followed by abrupt onset of
  respiratory distress, shock, and death in 24 to
  36 hours
• Inhalation route has highest mortality and is
  most likely used by terrorists

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Gastrointestinal Anthrax

• In the stomach and intestines
• Caused by eating undercooked animal meat
  containing anthrax
• 2 to 5 day incubation period
• Loss of appetite, fever, diffuse abdominal pain,
  nausea, constipation, diarrhea and vomiting.
• In 2 to 4 days, severe swelling of the abdomen
  develops
• Blood loss, electrolyte imbalances, subsequent
  shock and ultimately, death follow.
• Death occurs in 25 percent to 60 percent of
  cases.

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Anthrax - Treatment

• Use high dose antibiotics
• Ciprofloxacin
• Doxycycline
• Treat for 60 days
• If vaccine administered, 35-40 days

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Anthrax - Pediatric Treatment

• Prophylaxis
• Penicillin
• Doxycycline
• IV Therapy
• Penicillin
• Doxycycline

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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Gloves disposable, non-latex gloves
• MicroGrip Polyshield Purple Nitrile Gloves
  (40101)
• Masks single-use, disposable, particulate
  respirators
• Brands 3M, Wilson, North, Moldex
• Safety Glasses
• Brow guard, solid side shields, disposable
• May be worn over eyeglasses
• Johnson Johnson Barrier Protective Glasses
  (10837-502)
• Clothing Lab coat or smock
• Minimum long sleeves, long pants, closed-toe
  shoes

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PPE for Workers Handling Mail

• Protective, impermeable gloves should be worn by
  all workers handling mail
• Provide multiple sizes to assure proper fit
• Glove material (nitrile, vinyl) should be based
  on safety, fit, durability and comfort
• Workers should avoid touching their skin, eyes,
  or other mucous membranes to avoid spread of any
  contamination
• Workers should consider wearing long-sleeved
  clothing and long pants to protect exposed skin
• PPE can be discarded in regular trash unless
  suspicious mail is discovered

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Identifying Suspicious Packages / Letters

• Excessive postage
• Handwritten or poorly typed addresses
• Incorrect titles
• Title, but no name
• Misspellings of common words
• Oily stains, discoloration or odor
• No return address
• Excessive weight
• Lopsided or uneven envelope

• Protruding wires or aluminum foil
• Excessive security material such as masking tape,
  string, etc.
• Visual distractions
• Ticking sound
• Marked with restrictive endorsements, such as
  Personal or Confidential
• Shows a city or state in the postmark that does
  not match the return address

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Suspicious Mail Items

• Letter Package Indicators

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How to Handle Anthrax Threats
Do Not Panic

• To cause infection, Anthrax organisms must be
  rubbed into abraded skin, swallowed, or inhaled
  as a fine, aerosolized mist.
• Anthrax must be aerosolized into very small
  particles to be effective--very difficult to do
• Anthrax is not spread from one person to another
  person.
• Disease can be prevented after exposure to the
  anthrax spores by early treatment with the
  appropriate antibiotics.
• If there is no powder or other substance, there
  is no anthrax

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Suspicious Packages or Envelopes

• Do not shake or empty the contents
• PLACE the envelope or package in a plastic bag or
  other type of container
• If you do not have any container, then COVER the
  envelope or package with anything (e.g.,
  clothing, paper, trash can, etc.) and do not
  remove this cover.
• LEAVE the room and CLOSE the door and keep others
  away
• WASH your hands with soap and water to prevent
  spreading any powder to your face.
• If you are at HOME, then report the incident to
  local police.
• If you are at WORK, then report the incident to
  local police, and notify your building proctor,
  safety officer, or an available supervisor.
• LIST all people who were in the room or area when
  this suspicious letter or package was recognized
  and give this list to the authorities

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If Powder Spills Out

• DO NOT try to CLEAN UP the powder.
• COVER the spilled contents immediately with
  anything and do not remove this cover!
• LEAVE the room, CLOSE the door, and keep others
  away
• REMOVE heavily contaminated clothing ASAP and
  place in a plastic bag, or some other container
  that can be sealed and give the bag to the
  emergency responders for proper handling.
• WASH exposed body parts with soap and water.
• If you are at HOME, then report the incident to
  local police.
• If you are at WORK, then report the incident to
  local police, and notify your building proctor,
  safety officer, or an available supervisor.
• If possible, list all people who were in the room
  or area, and give this list to the local
  authorities

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Double-Bagging of Suspicious Mail Items

• With your gloved hands
• Carefully insert the item into a sealable plastic
  bag
• Large Zip-lock bags work well
• Have another person hold open a second bag
• Insert the sealed bag into the second bag
• Remove your protective gloves, being careful not
  to touch the outer surfaces
• Insert the gloves into the second bag, and seal
  it
• Retain the bagged items for authorities
• Wash hands thoroughly, using hot water soap!

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TAMU Emergency Phone Numbers

• http//www.tamu.edu/00/data/emerg.html
• TAMU Emergency Assistance 9-911
• University Police Department 5-2345
• TAMU EHSD 5-2132
• Maintenance Service 5-4311
• Office of Engineering Safety 5-4986
• Engineering Facilities Office 5-5568

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Sources

• US Department of Health Human Services
• Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC)
• http//www.bt.cdc.gov/learningresources.asp
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• http//www.fbi.gov/
• National Domestic Preparedness Office
• http//www.ndpo.gov/
• US Postal Service (USPS)
• http//www.usps.gov/
• Federal emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• http//www.fema.gov/

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Remember

• Use Common Sense!
• Use Reasonable Precautions!
• Wash Your Hands!
• Dont Live in Fear!

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Prepared by
http//engineering.tamu.edu/safety/
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Anthrax Awareness and Mail Handler Safety Training
Anthrax Safety Training Course
Office of Engineering Safety Texas Engineering
Experiment Station (TEES) The Dwight Look
College of Engineering
A safe, healthful, and secure environment for
scholarship and research.