OSHA probes Florida postal worker's illness

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ORLANDO, Fla., May 16 (UPI) -- The illness of a U.S. Postal Service employee who handled a leaky package from Yemen at a Florida mail-sorting facility is being investigated, authorities said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the maladies affecting postal worker Jeffrey A. Lill, who became ill after handling the package at the Orlando facility, the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting reported Tuesday.

After handling the parcel that was oozing a brown, viscous substance, Lill, 44, suffered from extreme fatigue, tremors, and liver and neurological problems consistent with toxic exposure, officials said. Lill and two witnesses said the package came through the Orlando facility Feb. 4, 2011.

The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting said the Postal Service refused to investigate, stating through lawyers that the incident didn't occur. The center said it worked with the Investigative Reporting Program at the University of California-Berkeley, uncovering documents and interviewing two whistle-blowers who confirmed what happened in Orlando.

An OSHA spokesman said the agency began its investigation in April, when investigators first received a complaint. Records indicate Lill's mother filed a complaint in February.

The Florida center said OSHA is barred by federal law from issuing citations for incidents more than six months old.