Delta Cited for Rodent Droppings on Plane

Bizjournals: U.S. health inspectors found rodent droppings “too numerous to count” inside a Delta Air Lines jet parked at its headquarters in Atlanta. Delta said Tuesday the plane was cleaned and returned to service within days of the report, according to Bloomberg.

The excrement and urine, spotted near an area where food and drinks are stored, were noted in Food and Drug Administration inspections from Jan. 26 to Feb. 2.

Delta took the rodent situation “very seriously” and resolved the problem by temporarily parking the jet and catching the animal, said Ashley Black, a spokeswoman for Delta.

Delta would not say what type of plane was involved; only that it was used for international flights.

According to the FDA inspection, rodent excrement was discovered above the right and left forward galleys and mammalian urine was detected in six areas on ceiling panels over a galley. Delta’s response to the FDA did not include steps to prevent the problem happening again, which FDA said is “likely” if such steps are not taken, Bloomberg reported.

Rodents can leave as many as 50 droppings a day, and a jetliner provides “everything a rat needs” with spilled nuts and pretzel crumbs and sources of water, Chad Artimovich, president of “Atlanta Wildlife Solutions, LLC, said in an interview with Bloomberg. The biggest concern, other than health issues, is that rats are known to chew on wiring, he said.

“Almost every house I go into where there are rats, they’ve chewed on wood and wiring and ornaments. Their teeth are harder than iron and they have to keep them gnawed down,” said Artimovich.