| For immediate release |
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A preliminary test of mail delivered to a secure, closed mail-handling facility outside the main Federal Reserve Board building tested positive for anthrax exposure late Thursday afternoon. Board officials notified, and are working with, the FBI. This mail, handled by three Board and three contract employees, all wearing protective environmental suits, has been secured within the mail-handling facility. Further testing will be conducted within this secured facility. Any mail found to be contaminated will be sent to a military facility for analysis by the FBI. Since the first public reports of anthrax-contaminated mail surfaced, the Board has processed all mail through the secure mail-handling facility and it is not distributed inside Federal Reserve buildings until it has been cleared. The Board will be open for business on Friday. However, while the investigation is underway, the Board has decided to postpone public events for security reasons. A public Board meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday will be rescheduled as soon as possible. |