While serious incidents involving dangerous mail are relatively rare, they are still problems that postal workers need to be vigilant against. Threats delivered through the mail come in many different shapes and sizes: guns and drugs, improvised explosives, poisonous powders or other chemicals, and even hazardous biological or radioactive agents.
Knowing how to identify and handle different types of mail threats is critical for keeping yourself, your organization, and your contacts safe. So this article will cover some universal tips for ferreting out and dealing with suspicious packages. We’ll also provide some specific clues and protocols for when you may be dealing with one of four particular types of threats.
What is covered in this article
We’ll start with a discussion of some general best practices for discovering and processing potentially dangerous and/or illegal items in the mail. Note that some of these techniques may be applicable to fishing out the more direct threats we cover later.
Contraband & dangerous mail
What this is: More commonly than a direct threat, suspicious mail contains objects or substances that could be dangerous if they fell into the wrong hands. Examples include illegal or controlled narcotics, weapons such as firearms or knives, or other items for which trade is restricted (such as certain animal products, government-issued documents, or things that teach or facilitate criminal activity).
How to identify this mail threat:
- Addresses are sloppily written, typed, or put together; or have spelling mistakes
- Addressee is referred to by an incorrect business title, or only by their business title
- Addressee is a person no longer with your organization, or is completely fictitious
- Return address is to an unfamiliar or made-up person/place, or is completely absent
- Postage indicates the package was mailed from a foreign country
- Location listed on the postage is different from the return address
- Excessive number of stamps or other postage marks (e.g. “private,” “fragile”)
- Unusually large amount or variety of binding material, such as tape or string
- Weird package weight, shape, or texture (including contents spilling out)
- Package has strange stains, crystallizations, or other discolorations
- Odd smell or sound coming from package
Best way to combat this mail threat:
- Invest in X-ray scanners and chemical detection equipment.
- If a package seems suspicious, remove it from the mail stream immediately.
- Scan suspicious packages for possible drugs or other contraband items.
- If contraband is found, store it in a secure place and contact local authorities.
Explosives & bombs in mail packages
What this is: Explosive devices and materials can be hidden inside envelopes and parcels alike. They can come in many forms: plastics, liquids, crystals, or powders. They can be triggered by things like a radio signal from a cell phone, walkie-talkie, etc.; or a manual switch that’s activated when the package is opened or mishandled.
They are meant to cause immediate and serious injury to the recipient, and perhaps also destruction to the surrounding area and harm to bystanders (if the blast range is large enough). They are also often combined with sharp objects (such as nails or metal/glass shards) – or even hazardous radioactive or biological materials – towards this purpose.
How to identify this mail threat:
- Abnormally high package weight
- Weird package shape that appears lopsided or overly bulky
- Excessive packaging material, especially tape (particularly if multiple kinds are used)
- Ticking, buzzing, or sloshing sounds coming from the package
- Exposed bomb components, such as wires or aluminum foil
- Excessive and/or unusual endorsements (e.g. “do not X-ray,” “fragile,” “private,” etc.)
- Strangely high amount of pressure or resistance when trying to open the package
Best way to combat this mail threat:
- Refuse the package if you can.
- Do not needlessly handle or try to open the package, or let anyone else do so.
- Do not put the package in water or in a confined space.
- Do not use cell phones or walkie-talkies near the package; they may trigger the bomb.
- If possible, scan the package with an X-ray machine to see if there is a threat or not.
- Leave the package where you found it and clear out surrounding objects to isolate it.
- Evacuate the room, closing doors but leaving windows open to vent explosive gases.
- Notify the local authorities, and your supervisor if applicable.
- Wait in a safe place until emergency responders give you further instructions.
Radiation & nuclear mail threats
What this is: Radioactive substances can be sent through the mail with the intention to harm people through radiation poisoning or other toxic effects. Sometimes they are sent on their own, but more often they are combined with a mail bomb to more effectively disperse the hazardous material.
Radiation can be difficult to detect because it’s invisible and has no smell. Another potential problem is that many of the radioactive materials used for these types of threats may not seem suspicious at first, as they are commonly used in industries like agriculture and medicine.
How to identify this mail threat:
- Powdered substance felt on or inside the package
- Strange stains, crystallizations, or other discolorations on the packaging
- Weird smell coming from the package
- Excessive and/or unusual endorsements (e.g. “do not X-ray,” “fragile,” “private,” etc.)
- Substance is visibly leaking from the package
- Some of the same oddities found in mail bombs may be noticed about the package
Best way to combat this mail threat:
- Install radiation detection equipment, and outfit workers with radiation pagers.
- Refuse the package if you can.
- Do not excessively handle or try to open the package, or let anyone else do so.
- If you already opened the package, do not try to clean up anything that comes out of it.
- Put the package in a sealed container, or throw some sort of cover over it.
- Do not put the package in water or in a confined space.
- Wash your hands and put any exposed clothing in a sealed container.
- If you notice strong smells, fumes, smoke, or illness-causing effects, activate the nearest fire alarm.
- Evacuate the room, closing all doors & windows and turning off ventilation systems.
- Notify the local authorities, and your supervisor if applicable.
- Take a shower as soon as you can.
- Wait in a safe place until emergency responders give you further instructions.
Chemical screening mail threats
What this is: Besides radioactive substances, other chemicals can be hidden inside packages with the intent to cause harm upon opening. These can be solids, liquids, or gaseous vapors/aerosols. They can cause nerve damage, blood poisoning, choking, skin damage, and other problems.
One thing that makes chemical threats tricky is how even small amounts of some substances can be hazardous. Another challenge is that they are sometimes difficult to detect until the package is actually opened, and by then harm may have already been done.
How to identify this mail threat:
- Powdered substance felt on or inside the package
- Odd stains, crystallizations, or other discolorations on the packaging
- Weird smells (e.g. almonds, peaches, hay) or vapors coming from the package
- Unusual sounds from inside the package, such as liquid sloshing
- Strangely high amount of pressure or resistance when trying to open the package
- Substance is visibly leaking from the package
Best way to combat this mail threat:
- Equip your facility with air sampling chemical detection systems.
- Refuse the package if you can.
- Do not excessively handle or try to open the package, or let anyone else do so.
- If you already opened the package, do not try to clean up anything that comes out of it.
- Scan the package using specialized chemical screening equipment.
- Do not put the package in water or in a confined space.
- Put the package in a sealed container, or throw some sort of cover over it.
- Wash your hands and put any exposed clothing in a sealed container.
- If you notice strong smells, fumes, smoke, or illness-causing effects, activate the nearest fire alarm.
- Evacuate the room, closing all doors & windows and turning off ventilation systems.
- Notify the local authorities, and your supervisor if applicable.
- Take a shower as soon as you can.
- Wait in a safe place until emergency responders give you further instructions.
Biohazards in mail & parcels
What this is: Mail can also be used to spread hazardous biological material. This may be used to transmit a contagious disease between people and/or animals, or to cause harm to people within a limited area. A notable example of the latter situation is the anthrax attacks in the USA in 2001.
Like chemical agents, biohazards can be difficult to deal with because they may only need small quantities to be dangerous. They are also especially problematic because they can be so small that they can’t be detected by senses alone.
How to identify this mail threat:
- Powdered substance felt on or inside the package
- Strange stains, crystallizations, or other discolorations on the packaging
- Weird smell coming from the package
Best way to combat this mail threat:
- Refuse the package if you can.
- Do not excessively handle or try to open the package, or let anyone else do so.
- If you already opened the package, do not try to clean up anything that comes out of it.
- Scan the package using bio-collection and air sampling equipment.
- Do not put the package in water or in a confined space.
- Put the package in a sealed container, or throw some sort of cover over it.
- Wash your hands and put any exposed clothing in a sealed container.
- If you notice strong smells, fumes, smoke, or illness-causing effects, activate the nearest fire alarm.
- Evacuate the room, closing all doors & windows and turning off ventilation systems.
- Notify the local authorities, and your supervisor if applicable.
- Take a shower as soon as you can.
- Wait in a safe place until emergency responders give you further instructions.
If your mail room isn’t properly equipped to detect or handle some of these threats, consider investing in some of VOTI’s state-of-the-art scanners. Another option is to outsource your mail processing to a separate company that specializes in screening suspicious letters and parcels. How you choose to secure your mail room is up to you, but the first step should be knowing what you’re up against and how to properly counteract it.