Rick,

The information below was provided to us by the FBI's Awareness of National Security Issues and Response (ANSIR) program.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has advised that certain types of incoming U.S. Government mail in the zip code range 202XX-205XX will continue to be irradiated in Lima, Ohio for the foreseeable future.  Mail being irradiated includes letters, flats, packages, express mail and priority mail with stamps for postage.  Mail from known mailers is not being irradiated, which includes USPS Express mail with meter strips and corporate accounts, USPS Priority mail with meter strips or permit indicia, all registered mail, and bulk quantity mail such as catalogs and magazines.  In addition, mail sent through private shipping companies, such as FedEx, UPS, DHL and Airborne, is not being irradiated.

Significant backlogs are occurring at the USPS as a result of the irradiation process.  These backlogs will continue until an additional irradiation facility is tested and opened in Bridgeport, Connecticut.  The USPS recommends that a range of items not be irradiated, including:  magnetic media (credit card, floppy disk, CD-ROM, etc.); plastics sensitive to heat and radiation warping; consumer electronics; photographic film; and photosensitive film and paper.  For these reasons, the FBI recommends using one of the methods mentioned above that will not subject mail to irradiation for corporate communication with U.S. Government offices in these zip codes.