When there is a known anthrax incident in the United States, frontliners might wonder what is their risk from cross-contaminated mail. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention:

If there is a risk for inhalation anthrax associated with exposure to cross-contaminated mail, it is very low…In 2001…envelopes containing bacillus anthracis …passed through the New Jersey and District of Columbia sorting facilities…Despite the fact that both of these facilities had evidence of widespread environmental contamination…and the fact that public health officials had been aggressively looking for anthrax cases, no new cases of anthrax were identified during that time.