Expert: USDA document spill harmless

NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Papers accidentally spilled on New Orleans streets while being hauled away from a federal agency office were not sensitive, a document expert said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday papers taken away from its Michoud Facility in New Orleans fell out when a latch on the back of a truck came unlocked, WWLTV, New Orleans, reported.

The USDA said it shreds and destroys all its sensitive documents on site.

The papers, containing names, e-mail addresses and vendor account information, apparently came from the USDA National Finance Center, which processes hundred of thousands of personnel payroll accounts for the federal government, the report said.

"Anytime you take information off-site, you have to worry about transportation of information, everybody does it, both electronically and in paper format. There's a certain sensitivity and security level you need to take," Louisiana Technology Council President Mark Lewis said.

Lewis said the documents seemed as though they would contain sensitive information but their exposure would not violate a person's private information.

"From what I saw, with vendors, it wouldn't be as much of a concern as someone's personal information, social security number or phone number (would be)," he said.