In the war against terrorism, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is working with industry partners on initiatives for both anthrax detection and trackable “intelligent mail.”

In September, the USPS is expected to award contracts for $200 million for the use of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) technology to detect anthrax and other biohazards on “high-risk” mail.

Postal officials envision PCR as an efficient supplement to irradiation, the technology that was the U.S. government's chief weapon during the mailed anthrax onslaught last fall.

“Working with law enforcement officials, we identified certain mail as target mail. One million pieces of mail were trapped (in processing centers). This mail couldn't move until it was sanitized. Irradiation was a very limited solution,” U.S. Deputy Postmaster General John Nolan says.

Beyond its drawback of slowing mail deliveries, irradiation also gets criticized for making letters look as though they have been baked in an oven. The USPS is still using irradiation, but only to sanitize letters and packages addressed to government offices, Nolan says.

Instead of killing spores, as irradiation does, PCR is aimed at detecting anthrax and other biohazards in almost real-time. Air samples are sucked from the mail and then tested for biohazards based on their DNA signatures. PCR technology uses enzymes to “amplify,” or magnify, DNA samples and to make DNA matches.

The USPS has been testing PCR prototypes from a couple of companies. “We're now in the final stages of purchasing a system,” Nolan says.

Another $245 million is earmarked for retrofitting existing high-speed sorters for PCR. Multiple technologies will also be employed to help safeguard mail from biohazards. “This is obviously not a one-size-fits-all situation,” he adds.

Meanwhile, the intelligent mail initiative is even more sweeping, with implications for almost universal mail tracking as well as a postal Web site, downloadable digital stamps, and postal-oriented CRM (customer relationship management). The USPS is collaborating on the initiative with the Mailing Industry Task Force (MITF), an industry group comprised of more than 60 companies.

Intelligent mail is one of nearly 40 initiatives the USPS is working on in conjunction with the MITF. Spearheaded by the USPS and Pitney-Bowes, the MITF was formed several months before Sept. 11 at the Spring 2001 National Postal Forum. Its original goals included assessing the current role and value of hard-copy mail; evaluating the competitive environment; and identifying future growth opportunities.

“Much of the technology for intelligent mail already exists,” notes Michael Critelli, president and CEO of Pitney-Bowes and co-chair, along with Nolan, of the MITF Steering Committee.

At the Spring 2002 National Postal Forum, the MITF's Intelligent Mail Task Force reported that the USPS has already implemented building blocks such as Confirm, an electonic tracking system, and Information-Based Indicia (IBI), a two-dimensional bar code meant to increase the amount of information that can be encoded on a piece of mail.

“Intelligent mail technology will provide unique identifiers that can be tracked by the system,” Nolan says. The USPS is also working with its partners on PC-based and dedicated hardware systems and a secure Web site.

Testing has already begun on parcel sorting machines equipped to read Confirm and IBI codes. “Intelligent mail will reduce the risk of terrorism,” Critelli says. “Last fall's anthrax attack was a wake-up call. Packages delivered by [commercial shipping houses] could be equally liable.

“There'll be a whole new meaning to the phrase, ‘The check is in the mail,’” Critelli continues.

Partners are also looking at using intelligent mail to create a CRM-like system for business reply mail. Critelli doesn't see intelligent mail as becoming mandatory, however, he says the USPS might provide financial incentives to businesses and consumers for adopting the smart mail system.