I know I have mentioned this customer quote before but I’ll repeat it here once again. “I don’t mind sharing my home with a few mice.” Really? Well, in addition to the property damage they do, mice do present a threat to human health.  They are known carriers for Salmonella, Hanta virus, Lymphocytic Chorio-meningitis (LCM) and many others. (https://www.cdc.gov/rodents/diseases/direct.html ) But, I want to talk about allergens in skin, serum, and urine. Probably the most important of these three are the mouse urinary proteins (MUPs) In fact, since mice are such an important laboratory animal, exposure to MUP’s is a significant occupational problem for animal handlers in these types of facilities. According to NIOSH statistics, 33% of the approximately 2million U.S. workers who routinely handle animals develop allergic symptoms and 10% will develop animal induced asthma.  Recommended personal protective equipment includes gloves, particulate respirators, engineering controls such as modification to ventilation and air filtration systems and continual monitoring of exposed workers.  Okay, so all these statistics were compiled for laboratory workers who routinely handle mice (including cleaning cages) as part of their normal eight-hour work shift, but still, do you seriously want to share your home with them and assume the risk of exposing your family members to these potent respiratory allergens?  Got mice? Give the pro’s at Colonial Pest Control a call.

Photo Credit : By Photo Credit:Content Providers(s): CDC/Cynthia Goldsmith – This media comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‘s Public Health Image Library (PHIL), with identification number #1136. Public Domain, Link