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Dead Rats Stink Up Orlando Airport

Persistent rodent problem leaves officials and passengers feeling ill

By Jessica Mackowick,  Newser User

Posted Mar 21, 2008 6:00 PM CDT

(Newser) – Dead rats are stinking up a portion of Orlando International Airport, and the smell has workers crying foul. Construction crews renovating gates earlier this month scared the rodents into the airport, the Orlando Sentinel reports; exterminators followed, and after rats died in walls and ceilings the stench sent workers and passengers home sick and shut down a customs checkpoint.

Customs officials say employees cannot work under such conditions and that the airport is not doing enough to resolve the ongoing issue. Airport officials removed the carcasses, sprayed pesticides and cleaned with harsh chemicals, to little avail. While a spokeswoman insists the rats pose no health threat, others warn that the insects and droppings associated with rats could be dangerous.

Rats are causing health concerns at Orlando International Airport.
Rats are causing health concerns at Orlando International Airport.   (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
The world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, landed at Orlando International Airport on a test flight and world tour in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007.  Orlando International Airport is one of only a few cities in the United States capable of handling the aircraft.
The world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, landed at Orlando International Airport on a test flight and world tour in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007. Orlando International Airport is...   (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Inside Orlando International Airport, where dead rodents are causing health concerns.
Inside Orlando International Airport, where dead rodents are causing health concerns.   (KRT Photos)
Orlando International Airport officials are working to resolve a persistent rodent problem.
Orlando International Airport officials are working to resolve a persistent rodent problem.   (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)
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