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Postal security plan would evacuate employees, close mail facilities-4/3/03

Diagram of contamination at the Brentwood Mail Processing Distribution Center

Diagram of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology

Biohazard Detection Systems

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Public Relations 202-268-2155
June 4, 2004
Release No: 38
www.usps.com

BIOHAZARD DETECTION SYSTEM DEPLOYMENT RESUMES

STATEMENT OF AZEEZALY S. JAFFER
VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE
JUNE 4, 2004

Nationwide installation of the U.S. Postal Service's Biohazard Detection System (BDS) has resumed, following a slight delay for testing to determine why some systems were producing "inconclusive" test results. The Postal Service Engineering group, working with BDS equipment contractors, has identified and corrected the anomalies.

"Inconclusive" test results did not mean there was a threat in the mail: They simply meant that a small, but unacceptable, number of tests had to be rerun to obtain conclusive results. Had anthrax been present, it would have been detected by the BDS. BDS has proven that it consistently and reliably detects anthrax in the mail.

The Postal Service will continue to monitor BDS performance as deployment resumes to ensure the systems are operating properly. In addition, a future enhancement is planned that will further improve system performance.

Our goal through the testing, implementation, and everyday use of the Biohazard Detection System has been the safety of every Postal Service employee and the customers we serve. That's why it was critical that the system operate properly before installation continued.

BDS is a fully contained, automated system designed to identify biohazards in the mail to provide an added level of protection to our employees. A total of 283 sites nationwide are scheduled to receive the system.

 

USPS hopes to install 100 anthrax detectors this year (6/10/04)

Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy
 
Postal Service resumes installation of hazard detectors

The Associated Press
6/4/04

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Installation of biological hazard detectors at mail facilities is being resumed, the Postal Service said Friday.

Installation of the equipment began in March, but was suspended April 28 because some machines were giving inconclusive readings. The problem has been corrected and work is resuming, postal vice president Azeezaly Jaffer said.

The detectors are planned for 283 mail handling and sorting facilities across the country. They are intended to detect biological hazards, warn postal workers and help prevent the delivery of dangerous items.

Development of the equipment was begun following the anthrax-by-mail attacks in 2001 that killed five people, including two postal workers.

Jaffer said the inconclusive test results did not mean there was a threat in the mail, only that some tests had to be rerun. Had anthrax been present, it would have been detected, he said.

Currently, fewer than a dozen facilities have the equipment. Nationwide installation is expected to be complete in November, 2005.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media Relations 202-268-2155
April 28, 2004
News Release No. 04-029
www.usps.com

BIOHAZARD DETECTION SYSTEM DEPLOYMENT DELAYED

STATEMENT OF AZEEZALY S. JAFFER
VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE
APRIL 28, 2004

During the pre-production phase of the Biohazard Detection System (BDS), 15 pilot sites around the country were chosen for their varied metropolitan and rural settings. These sites allowed us to calibrate the system and establish a baseline for future reference. Compared to the established baseline, we recently have experienced an increase in non-determinate results on several machines.

Due to inconclusive - or non-determinate - test results reported by BDS equipment already installed at several postal facilities, the Postal Service is temporarily delaying further deployment of these systems so we can address this issue.

For the Biohazard Detection System, an inconclusive test is called a "non-determinant." A non-determinant does not indicate a threat is suspected; it simply means the test result is inconclusive.

Our objective throughout the entire deployment process has been to provide a scientifically valid approach. As a result of these isolated anomalies, we are taking every step necessary to make sure the BDS is working properly before it is rolled out nationwide.
 

USPS suspends Biohazard Detection System

Time Out Called

Non-determinant test results temporarily halt BDS rollout

Some tests are neither positive nor negative — they’re inconclusive.

For the Biohazard Detection System (BDS), an inconclusive test is called a “non-determinant.” Recently, we’ve experienced more non-determinants than we think we should at two sites where new systems are being installed. As a result, national BDS deployment is being temporarily halted so we can address this issue.

A non-determinant doesn’t indicate a threat is suspected, it simply means the test result is inconclusive.

During the pre-production phase, 15 pilot sites around the country were chosen for their varied metropolitan and rural settings. These sites allowed us to calibrate the system and establish a baseline for future reference. Compared to that baseline, we’re seeing an increase in non-determinate results on several machines.

Our objective throughout this whole process has been to provide a scientifically valid approach to detecting threats in the mail. The Biohazard Detection System does that. And we’re taking every step necessary to make sure the BDS is working properly before it is rolled out nationwide.

We expect to resume deployment soon.

USPS newslink 4/28/2004

 
Cepheid drops on worries over postal detection contract  (source: CBS Marketwatch)

April 29, 2004-Cepheid shares fell as much as 35 percent Thursday after the company said that the U.S. Postal Service is delaying temporarily deployment of the company's biohazard detection system. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Cepheid (CPHD), which makes systems to detect infectious disease agents and environmental contaminants, won a role in a Postal Service contract after a series of anthrax-laced envelopes were sent via the mail in the months after Sept. 11, 2001. The Postal Service initially installed detection systems in 15 pilot sites. The delay in further installing the detection system comes after a number of sorting lines began to see an increase in the number of tests coming up as "non-determinant."

Cepheid Developer of BDS Comments on USPS Announcement (4/29/04)
November 10, 2003 -Postal Service spokesman Bob Anderson said the agency plans in March to install new biohazard detection systems at 282 major processing and distribution centers across the country. The new systems will scan mail that is collected from drop boxes for possible contamination, Anderson said. All mail destined for federal agencies in Washington will continue to be irradiated. more at Govexec. com
April 8, 2003-(Dow Jones) USPS To Test Biohazard Detection Systems For Anthrax -USPS said it will test a Biohazard Detection System to detect anthrax in 14 postal facilities across the country. Mail processing and distribution centers in Dulles, Va.; southern Maryland (Capitol Heights); Albany, N.Y.; Kilmer, N.J.; Manasota, Fla.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Tampa, Fla.; Midland, Texas; Los Angeles Ca.;; Tacoma, Wash.; Rockford, Ill.; Lancaster, Pa.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Cleveland, OH. will test the device for 30 days.. Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Security Systems LLC unit will provide the Biohazard Detection Systems for the 30-day tests. The systems is designed to detect anthrax spores and other biological agents by collecting and analyzing air samples from mail-sorters. Cepheid Inc. , Smiths Detection, a unit of Smiths Group PLC , and Sceptor Industries worked with Northrop on the project.

Other tidbits gathered from various news sources on the internet

• The companies, led by Northrop Grumman Corp., are planning to install desk-size devices in regional mail sorting centers. The devices continually will sample and test air on automated lines that sort thousands of letters an hour. Sceptor's part of the system, called SpinCon (pictured at left) , can extract minute contaminants from the air.

• The automated system includes a tube that sucks air from the point where letters are slightly bent to be read by the mail sorting machines. It was at that point, according to postal officials, that anthrax spores were released in the New Jersey and Washington mail-sorting centers. Sceptor's air sampler will draw those air samples through a spinning membrane of chemically enhanced water that wrings out minute contaminants. The water is then bottled for testing. Those tests are done with technology from another small company, Cepheid Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif. The company's GeneXpert (pictured at right) testing system detects trace levels of DNA.

• The goal is to have machines in 283 mail processing plants. The system is fully automated and will shut down operations if a biological agent is detected. The purpose of the system is to protect customers, employees, and the system. A Stand-up Talk will be sent to the field for dissemination.

WASHINGTON -- The Postal Service, still feeling the effects of the anthrax-by-mail attacks 18 months ago, said today it will test a new anthrax detection system in mail sorting sites around the country, including in Pittsburgh.

The new system has been undergoing tests in Baltimore and will now be installed in the mail sorting sites June 30. The system samples the air around mail as it passes through postal sorting machines and can promptly issue an alert if it detects a biological hazard such as anthrax.

Testing of the system will last for 30 days.

"After the anthrax attacks of October 2001, the postmaster general pledged to the mailing community that the Postal Service would do all it could to limit the effects of any similar attack. Today, we are taking an important step toward meeting that commitment," Thomas Day, the Postal Service's vice president for engineering, said in a statement.

Day said the system performs a rapid DNA test for anthrax and provides immediate notification if it detects any. In the testing in Baltimore, he said the system detected anthrax every time it was tested with samples of the germ and reported no false positive results.

False positives remain a concern, Day said, because some of the test sites are in areas with livestock and a normal background level of anthrax.

Day declined to say how much system costs, but he said it required approval from the agency's board of governors. Such approval is necessary for any spending of more than $10 million.

Five people died in the October 2001 anthrax attacks, including two postal workers. Eighteen other people were infected by the disease.

There have been no arrests and there are officially no suspects in the criminal investigation into the attacks-by-mail. The FBI has not named a suspect, though officials say there are about 30 "persons of interest." That includes bioweapons expert Dr. Steven J. Hatfill, whose home has been searched. He denies any involvement.

The anthrax scare has contributed to the financial woes of the Postal Service, which suffered a $676 million loss last year.

SUNNYVALE, Calif.,/PRNewswire-March 26, 2003 -Cepheid (Nasdaq: CPHD), announced that Northrop Grumman has issued the following statement with regard to the continuing program for development of a bio-agent detection system for the United States Postal Service:

" -- A Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) led team continues to work with the U.S. Postal Service to develop and test its Bio-Agent Detection System. Currently, there are 12 pilot systems being tested in the field, with 14 additional pre-production systems being prepared for testing over the next few months.

The Northrop Grumman system uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, developed by Cepheid (Nasdaq: CPHD), that can identify anthrax and other bio-threats that could potentially be sent through the mail.

Negotiations continue between Northrop Grumman and the USPS on all terms of the production contract, including indemnification, to deploy the system at postal facilities nationwide.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $25 billion global defense company, headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. Northrop Grumman provides technologically advanced, innovative products, services and solutions in systems integration, defense electronics, information technology, advanced aircraft, shipbuilding and space technology. With approximately 120,000 employees and operations in all 50 states and 25 countries, Northrop Grumman serves U.S. and international military, government and commercial customers."

Northrop Grumman Team Receives United States Postal Service Contract to Expand Testing of Bio-Agent Detection System

Sunnyvale, CA, December 13, 2002 …/PRNewswire Cepheid (NASDAQ: CPHD), today announced that the Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Security Systems LLC unit has announced receipt of a contract award from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to expand and continue testing of the Bio-Agent Detection System (BDS) being developed by a Northrop Grumman-led team, which includes Cepheid.

Under the pre-production contract announced by Northrop, systems will be installed and tested at 14 USPS facilities. This will enable the postal service to validate performance of the final BDS design, which successfully completed a pilot program earlier this year. As indicated in the release by Northrop, the BDS may eventually be deployed at postal service facilities throughout the country, pending award of a full production contract.

The BDS incorporates Cepheid’s GeneXpert® modules as its detection and identification system and utilizes Cepheid’s patented test cartridges. Cepheid and Applied Biosystems (NYSE: ABI) an Applera Corporation business, previously announced a collaboration to develop and sell reagents designed to detect biothreat agents to be used in the cartridges.

“We are delighted to be a part of the team that has developed a fully integrated solution for the USPS,” commented Tom Gutshall, chairman of Cepheid. “The selection of the GeneXpert system for the BDS further validates the unique capabilities of Cepheid’s technology and its potential applicability in the commercial marketplace.”

Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR

(source APWU)

A telecon took place on 6/18/02 between the Postal Unions and area and Hdtr Postal management updating the matter of detection systems.

A process is being tested in the Baltimore Md. facility that will hopefully detect any anthrax in the mailstream.

The process is called Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR. This system can detect the DNA of anthrax.

The PCR will begin testing live mail in Baltimore on Monday 6/24/02. If the process is successful, a contract will be given in September of this year, with the possibility of nationwide deployment next year.

The system has been tested at a military base in Md. It's purpose is to detect, detain and neutralize any anthrax in the mail. It supposedly has the capacity to detect multiple agents, but the detection of anthrax is the first priority. Over a period of five (5) months at the military base, 100,000 tests took place with no false or negative positives. This system can detect the genetic code of anthrax. The system continuously takes air samples and it can test positives on site.

If the system has a preliminary positive the system will conduct a serious of computer checks, then it will test the substance. This will take 60 minutes. Currently the testing system takes days. Any suspicious mail will be trapped, and won't leave the facility until cleared and cleaned.

The system can detect anthrax down to 1 milligram on envelopes. I've inquired as to whether anthrax under 1 milligram is dangerous. I haven't received an answer as of today, but management has promised they will give us an answer.

This biological Detection System is a positive, if it works. So far it seems promising, and I'm hopeful it will work. This will give our members some measure of safety, and the next step is safe irradiation systems.

A serious problem has arisen in the Washington DC area, where government agencies are advising everyone to refrain from utilizing the Postal system, because of the delays in delivery. The delay is due to irradiation of all mail For DC. The irradiation process takes time.

It's ironic that the safety procedures being implemented to safeguard government mail, has led to the same folks boycotting the postal system, because of some delays. The Postal Service has to deploy equipment as soon as possible, to safeguard the processing system for both employees and Patrons.


 

polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
The elegant technique of PCR, by which fragments of DNA can be made to replicate very rapidly, is illustrated.
Figure Legend:

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), is a common method of creating copies of specific fragments of DNA. PCR rapidly amplifies a single DNA molecule into many billions of molecules.

In one application of the technology, small samples of DNA, such as those found in a strand of hair at a crime scene, can produce sufficient copies to carry out forensic tests.

(source National Health Museum)