America is arguably one of the nicest places on earth to live. We have the best movies, the best music and even the best fast food. It's just too bad that we have to be afraid of the mail.

Although it started out with Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw, letters containing anthrax or masquerading as the deadly powder have started to pop up in lower profile places. The threat of terrorism even hit close to home in November when an envelope suspected of containing anthrax, which later turned out to be a false alarm, was discovered at the Portage County Recycling Center.

Many people may be shocked by the recent attacks, but the Portage County Health Department is not unprepared. Dr. Kenneth Rupp, the county health commissioner, says Portage County has been preparing itself for terrorist attacks, including biological attacks, since 1995 when the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City was bombed.

With the threat of foreign, as well as domestic, terrorism, Rupp says he doesn't make any assumptions about who may be threatening Portage County.

"You've got crazies everywhere," Rupp says. "You don't have to say it's Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden."

If someone actually thinks they have been exposed to anthrax, Rupp says they must act quickly. The first thing they should do is call the police. The police will contact the county's Emergency Management Agency, and the EMA will contact the FBI. The FBI will then coordinate the local health department in contacting everyone who may have been exposed and containing the spread of the bacteria.

Individuals exposed to anthrax have about 72 hours to begin taking antibiotics, Rupp says. Cipro and doxycycline are two of the more common medications. Once a person begins taking the medication, he or she must stay on it for 60 days.

The United States Postal Service is also trying to do its part in fighting the war on terrorism. The postal service recently sent out post cards en masse describing what characteristics should make someone suspicious of a piece of mail. The post card also explains what a person should do with a suspicious piece of mail. If someone suspects a piece of mail is contaminated, he or she should stop handling the package immediately and should especially avoid shaking, bumping or sniffing the package. The person should then wash his hands with soap and water before calling the police.

The postal service is trying to make the mail as safe as possible, says Paul Harrington, a representative from the Akron District Office.

"We've made masks and nitrel gloves available to all of our employees," Harrington says. "We're also advising everyone, not just postal employees, to wash their hands after handling the mail."

The social climate since Sept. 11 has forced the postal service to pay closer attention to normally routine duties. Harrington says one concern that has come up lately is the shipping of laundry detergent samples.

"With a couple of hundred thousand samples, a few of them are bound to break," Harrington says. "Then the residue shows up on the trucks or workroom floors."

Before Sept. 11, we never would have even given the white powder a second thought." The postal service has also had a problem with chalk markings used by bulk mailers. The markings can sometimes leave a powdery residue. Harrington says shippers have been asked to use marker instead.

The postal service isn't just stopping at making the mail itself safe. In conjunction with America's Most Wanted and the FBI, it is offering a reward of up to $1.25 million for information leading to the arrest of anthrax mailers.

"Postal inspectors take these mailings very seriously," says Chief Postal Inspector Kenneth Weaver. "We are going to ensure the mail continues to be a welcome visitor in every home and business in the nation. We know there is someone somewhere who saw something or who knows something about these letters.

We hope that this reward will demonstrate how serious we are about finding who did this and bringing them to justice."

Confidential telephone calls can be directed to the America's Most Wanted phone bank (1-800 CRIME TV) or to their Web site.

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