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Are you never more than 6ft away from a rat? [View all]
By Charlotte Pritchard
BBC News
The old adage has it that we're never more than six feet away from a rat - but how was this worked out, and is it true?
It's a saying that seems almost deliberately contrived to get a reaction, but isn't exactly clear where the adage comes from.
It may derive from the former Ministry of Agriculture, suggests rodent expert Prof Rob Smith from the University of Huddersfield. They circulated many public health announcements to promote hygiene in homes.
It is also associated with another commonly quoted statistic, that the population of rats outnumbers the population of humans.
more
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20716625
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