Since mid-January, rats—big rats—have been caught and killed in traps lined with peanut butter at the New York Department of State's Customer Service Office in the Financial District. And yet, employees say the rodents keep coming through the walls.

“You see huge holes where these rats can come out and do their thing and hide again during the day,” said David Galarza, the spokesman for the Civil Service Employees Association.

Pictures provided by employees show glue and snap traps lining cubicles. Workers in this state office say they wipe down desks daily, but rat droppings and chewed up papers are a regular sight in the morning. These are tell-tale signs of an infestation, according to the EPA.

“It’s disgusting…you just walk around…you smell the stench of rat urine,” Galarza said.

The smell is so pungent that employees think it triggered an asthma attack for one of their co-workers. She was taken to the hospital in an ambulance in late January, according to co-workers and the fire department.

But as NY1 was conducting interviews, a State Department spokesperson stepped in, insisting there was no building infestation, and any rodent presence could be attributed to a construction project across the street.

The State Department is a tenant at 123 William Street. A spokesperson for building management says they are actively addressing the problem with pest control and placement covers at points of entry. They are said that there are no other pest reports beyond the second floor office.

 Employees and union representatives say building management has had two months to fix the problem.

Workers have filed a complaint with the Public Employee Safety Bureau, saying the employer failed to provide a safe workplace.

And after we talked to the spokesperson, the agency issued a new statement, saying it is absolutely committed to the well-being of all employees and is aggressively engaged to ensure that all staff work in safe and healthy environments.

“This is New York city. So there are going to be rats,” said Bridget Coleman, a Department of State employee said. “But there are rats coming in to a workplace where people have to work every day. So that’s not reasonable. “