From Possumblog Scientifical Correspondent and Famous NASA Scientist Steevil, an entry for the "Jobs I'd Rather Not Have" File, via the Balmer Sun (reg. req'd. to read the whole thing):
Old food, not rodents, is possible odor source
Bad smell permeates parts of city courthouse
By Julie Bykowicz
Sun Staff
Originally published April 22, 2005
Turns out that ages-old, greasy potato chip stains and soda spills - not decaying rats - may be the source of a bad smell wafting through Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse in downtown Baltimore, public works officials say.
Blaine Lipski, the city's chief of building maintenance, spent hours inhaling deeply inside the building yesterday and reached this conclusion: Dead rodents have much more of a gag-inducing stink than whatever is lurking there. [...]
Lipski characterized the odor emanating from Courtroom 203 and the grand jury section and wafting down adjoining hallways as a musty or "bad perfume" smell.
"It doesn't cause a gag reflex the way dead rats do," he said.
Department of Public Works officials surmised that the dingy old carpet near the grand jury vending machines could be to blame. Kurt L. Kocher, the department spokesman, said spillage from drinks and crumbs from snacks can evolve into a stench if left uncleaned for a long time.
And there's one other theory...
- the joke of the day circulating among courthouse employees: "Perhaps it's the lawyers that we smell."
Posted by Terry Oglesby at April 22, 2005 12:09 PM