Irradiating Mail to Congress May Be Making Workers Ill
The Office of Compliance, which is responsible for Congressional workplace safety, said its inquiry into more than 200 complaints "concluded that handling irradiated mail for substantial periods" might cause or contribute to health problems reported by Congressional employees.

The findings are the first to suggest that irradiation could be harmful. The report called for monitoring workers, further studies on long-term exposure to irradiated mail and some protective steps, including airing the mail before delivering it.

Dozens of House and Senate employees soon complained of ailments that included headaches, nausea, bloody noses, rashes and other irritations. Postal workers also reported problems. The compliance office said that in May it resurveyed Congressional employees who had filed health complaints and found that 55 percent of those contacted continued to report problems, though they were often milder.

"The continued symptoms in employees is the single most important reason in suggesting the need for more study," said Gary Green, general counsel of the office.

The report, Mr. Green said, was compiled with the help of two specialists in occupational medicine and two industrial hygienists. Independent environmental testing by the investigators was also critical to the findings, he said.

The report said tests of the air from irradiated mailbags and the House and Senate mail rooms detected small amounts of chemical irritants that could have been produced from the paper during irradiation.

"While we do not believe these chemical irritants are life-threatening," the report said, "we believe further study is essential to determine the effects of extended exposure to irradiated mail, particularly in restricted work areas."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/02/national/02MAIL.html