SOCORRO, N.M. – A New Mexico scientist says she was fired from a New Mexico Tech lab job after complaining about a rodent infestation.
Chemical engineer Glenanne Johnson was terminated from her position as a lab manager at the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center after her complaints about mouse droppings and dead rodents, KOB-TV reports.
Johnson said the work environment got her sick and she later tested positive for Hantavirus – an infectious disease spread by rodents.
The university would not comment about why she is no longer employed.
But lab director Michael Stanley told the station when Johnson first reported the problem and shared pictures of the working conditions, he temporarily shut down the labs.
“We want to respond if we see a problem. We want to take care of it and fix it because it’s very important to us that everybody go home safely every day,” Stanley said.
