Thousands of pieces of mail intentionally destroyed at California post office

The United States Postal Service has confirmed that thousands of pieces of mail were intentionally destroyed after a main post office in Torrance, California, was contaminated with asbestos.

This is the latest development in the ongoing situation at the facility. In July, the city began relocating retail and PO Box services due to what was initially described as “potential asbestos exposure” within the building.

While testing found no asbestos in the air ducts or customer areas, further inspection revealed that all remaining property inside the building, including mail and packages, had been compromised.

The USPS told KTLA that approximately 4,000 pieces of mail were destroyed. A spokesperson for the agency told KTLA that the destruction was “required of all mail pieces in accordance with protocols required by federal, state, and local OSHA and EPA regulations.”

For customers affected by the contamination, the Postal Service has provided the following guidance:

• For uninsured items, a customer notice obtained from the Torrance Post Office can be used as confirmation to the sender that the item was not delivered.
• Customers with insured items may be eligible to file a claim at usps.com.