Reaching U.S. legislators may be more difficult for the next few weeks due to the ricin scare on Capitol Hill.

Iowans trying to contact U.S. legislators through the U.S. Postal Service will face long delivery delays and the possible destruction of mail, said James Carstensen, a spokesman for Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa.

The mail for Congress was gathered to be tested and decontaminated after Ricin was found in the mail room of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. Ricin is a potentially deadly substance from castor beans that attacks the respiratory and circulatory system.

Latham said in a statement his mail is being sent through additional screening as a result of the ricin incident. He said constituents who want to get a hold of him should use other methods to contact him for the time being.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in an e-mail interview his mail may never be seen after screening.

“It’s too early to tell if we’ll ever get that mail back,” he said. “Two years ago with anthrax, the mail that was gathered like this fell into a big black hole.”

Beth Pellett-Levine, spokeswoman for Grassley, said if a person has recently sent a letter to the senator, he or she should wait a few days, then resend it by alternate methods such as e-mail or fax. Another option would be to send the mail to one of the district offices in Iowa, she said.

“If Iowans are about ready to mail me a letter, I think it would be best to either e-mail me or wait until we know that postal mail is being delivered to the Senate office buildings. If Iowans need immediate help with casework type situations, they should contact one of my offices in Iowa,” Grassley said in the e-mail.

Carstensen said mail delivery hasn’t resumed yet, and he does not know how long the delivery process will take in the future. There is already close to a two-week delay in delivery because all mail going to the congressional offices must go to Indiana for the screening, he said.

Inspector Sam Owens, Iowa Postal Inspection Service, said the delivery delays are not occurring at the local level.

“I can’t really say there’s been much of a delay due to the events on the East Coast,” he said.

Owens said the only way delivery would be delayed or mail destroyed at the local level is if the postal inspection service is alerted of a dangerous situation.

Latham said in his statement that all mail to his Washington D.C. office will get attention as soon as he gets it.

Pellett-Levine said the mail is not being picked up from Washington D.C. as often and still has to be screened, so Grassley’s responses may be slightly delayed.