The FDA is dealing with a rodent issue at its headquarters. While pest-control problems are not unusual in Washington-area buildings, they've worsened during the pandemic.
The Food and Drug Administration is grappling with field mice at its headquarters, an infestation exacerbated by food left behind in offices that have been largely unoccupied during the Covid-19 pandemic, the agency confirmed to POLITICO.
“It is accurate that food products left behind in offices when maximum telework was implemented is a contributing factor to offices with pest control issues,” FDA spokesperson Stephanie Caccomo said. “Employees assigned to offices that have pest control concerns are either being provided temporary office space or being asked to maintain full-time telework until such time their assigned office is ready for their return,” Caccomo said.
“It appears not to have gone away,” the person said, especially in areas of the White Oak campus built in later years. AdvaMed CEO Scott Whitaker — the leader of the largest medical device manufacturer trade group — doesn’t think the field mice challenge will impact the agency’s work.