Executive office of the president office of science and technology policy
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EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20502 July 19, 2002 MEMORANDUM FOR FEDERAL MAIL MANAGERS AND FIRST RESPONDERS TO FEDERAL MAIL CENTERS 
FROM: John H. Marburger, III, Director SUBJECT: Purchase of Anthrax Detection Technologies Since October 11, 2001 when the U.S. mail was contaminated with Bacillus anthracis, federal, state and local agencies and first responders have used commercially available Bacillus anthracis detection equipment to identify unknown substances resembling anthrax powder. However, recent scientific evaluation of these commercially available detection systems concludes that this equipment does not pass acceptable standards for effectiveness. Specifically, Bacillus anthracis detection thresholds for these devices are well above the minimum level that can infect personnel, and are not suitable for determining biological contamination of personnel, rooms, or pieces of equipment. Many devices also have been shown to give a significant number of false positives, which could cause unnecessary medical intervention with its own risk. The Office of Science and Technology Policy, in collaboration with the Office of Homeland Security and 14 federal agencies, has coordinated the preparation of Guidelines for Federal Mail Centers in Washington, DC Metropolitan Area for Managing Possible Anthrax Contamination. This guidance provides the standard operating procedures for federal mail centers to use in handling, identifying, and delivering a suspect article to the appropriate authorities for analysis. The Guidelines are available on the GSA website, at www.gsa.gov/mailpolicy. The response of a facility to a threat or suspect article should be an integrated effort involving threat assessment protocols with law enforcement, testing by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) validated facility, and medical evaluation and response with the public health department. Microbiological culture in a CDC-validated laboratory is the “Gold Standard” for determining the presence of anthrax spores. Field-testing solely using commercially available polymerase chain reaction or handheld immunoassays for the detection of Bacillus anthracis is not recommended and should not be used for the purposes described in the following paragraph. Until further notice, the Office of Science and Technology Policy advises that federal agencies cease issuing any new procurement requests, task orders, purchase orders, or contracts for the purchase of new equipment or services that may detect, sample, test or filter air for Bacillus anthracis as the method for assaying suspicious mail, or for routine environmental sampling of mail rooms. We also advise that every agency terminate any purchase requests, task orders, purchase orders, or contracts that have been issued for this purpose and where final acceptance has not occurred. The Department of Defense will continue to procure military standard biological detection equipment following the current statutory regulations under which the Department operates. Directory: graphics -> ogp ogp -> Fmr bulletin b-2 (Wireless Phone Use in U. S. Government Vehicles) graphics -> Section 508 Accessibility of Electronic and Information Technology for People with Disabilities graphics -> Polaris: a system for Query, Analysis and Visualization of Multi-dimensional Relational Databases ogp -> Real property policysite graphics -> Updated 3/30/10 Federal Child Care Center Locations alabama child Educare, Inc graphics -> Attachment 4 labor category descriptions graphics -> AirTran Airways Name: AirTran Government Desk Telephone: 1-877-468-4492 fax: 912-966-6376 Website graphics -> Alliant Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (gwac) Ordering Guide ogp -> Statement by the department of health and human services Download 6.51 Kb. Share with your friends:
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