Decontamination of critical mail

1. A method for handling mail comprising:

receiving the mail in a preliminary sorting area;

treating at least a portion of the mail with an antimicrobial gas; and

in response to the preliminary sorting area being contaminated or suspected of being contaminated with a pathogenic biological or chemical agent, supplying a decontaminating gas to the preliminary sorting area to decontaminate the sorting area and equipment and mail located within the preliminary sorting area.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antimicrobial gas includes ethylene oxide.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the decontaminating gas includes hydrogen peroxide vapor

4. A method for handling mail comprising:

receiving the mail in a preliminary sorting area;

treating at least a portion of the mail with an antimicrobial gas;

sensing a pathogenic biological or chemical agent in the sorting area with a sensor;

the sensor signaling a control system of the presence of the agent; and

the control system initiating a step of supplying a decontaminating gas to the preliminary sorting area in response to sensing a pathogenic agent above a predetermined acceptable level to decontaminate the sorting area and equipment and mail located within the preliminary sorting area.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the decontaminating gas is supplied through a dedicated air handling system for the sorting area.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sorting area forms part of a modular unit, further including:

transporting the modular unit to a site where mail sorting and treating are to be carried out.

7. The method of claim 6 , further including:

sorting the treated mail, the step of sorting being carried out in a clean region of the module which is isolated from the preliminary sorting area.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of treating includes:

loading mail in a basket into a chamber of a sterilizer;

evacuating the sterilizer; and

introducing antimicrobial gas into the chamber, the mail being kept in the sterilizer for a sufficient time to decontaminate the mail.

9. The method of claim 8 , further including, after the introducing step:

aerating the chamber to remove residual antimicrobial gas.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of sorting includes:

separating the mail into mail which will be subjected to the treatment step, and mail which is unsuited to be treated in the treatment step.

11. The method of claim 1 , further including, prior to the step of sorting:

transporting the mail to the sorting area in an airtight container; and

removing the mail from the airtight container.

12. The method of claim 11 , further including, prior to the step of removing:

decontaminating an exterior surface of the container.

13. The method of claim 1 , further including, after the step of treating:

transporting the treated mail in a container which is substantially impermeable to pathogens.

14. A method of decontaminating incoming mail comprising:

receiving potentially contaminated mail in a first room that is sealed to the ambient environment;

loading the mail into a pass through sterilizer from the first room;

decontaminating the mail in the sterilizer;

from a second room isolated from the first room, removing the mail from the sterilizer; and

after the mail is removed from the sterilizer in the second room, sorting and processing the mail.

15. The method of claim 14 , further including:

with all workers removed from the first room, treating the first room with a decontaminating vapor.

16. The method of claim 15 further including:

monitoring the first room for contamination; and

in response to sensing contamination, setting off an alarm to cause workers to evacuate the first room and performing the treating step.

17. The method of claim 14 , further including:

examining the mail in the first room with x-rays.

18. The method of claim 14 further including:

receiving the mail in sealed containers in an ante-room at an entrance to the first room; and

treating the exterior surfaces of the containers with a chemical decontaminant prior to loading the mail into the sterilizer.

19. The method of claim 14 , further including:

after the mail is removed from the sterilizer in the second room, packaging the mail in sealed containers for transport to another facility.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antimicrobial gas is different from the decontaminating gas.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein after mail is received in the preliminary sorting area, batches of the mail are placed into a pass-through sterilizer, the mail being treated with the antimicrobial gas in the pass-through sterilizer;

after treating the mail with the antimicrobial gas, removing the treated mail from the pass-through sterilizer from a mail sorting area, the preliminary sorting area being isolated from the mail sorting area to prevent a pathogenic biological or chemical agent from passing from the preliminary sorting area to the mail sorting area.

22. The method of claim 4 further including:

in response to sensing a pathogenic biological or chemical agent in the sorting area, triggering an alarm to signal workers in the sorting area to leave the sorting area and go to a changing room;

removing potentially contaminated clothing and washing in decontaminating cleansers.

23. A method for handling mail comprising:

passing sealed containers of mail through an air lock into a preliminary sorting room which is sealed to the ambient environment;

treating exterior surfaces of the containers with a chemical decontaminant;

removing the mail from the containers and placing the mail in a pass-through sterilizer;

decontaminating the mail in the pass-through sterilizer; from a clean room which is separated from the preliminary sorting area

by a pathogenic agent impermeable barrier, removing the mail from the pass-through sterilizer;

monitoring the preliminary sorting room for the presence of an airborne pathogenic biological or chemical agent;

in response to sensing a pathogenic biological or chemical agent in the preliminary sorting room, evacuating workers from the preliminary sorting room and treating the preliminary sorting room with a decontaminating gas.