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Cockroaches in the home environment are a health hazard not only because
of the risks posed by cockroach antigens to asthma
sufferers, but also because they can carry disease-causing germs and because
some of the methods traditionally used to eliminate them cause additional
health hazards.
Traditionally, cockroaches were controlled because
they are offensive, leave behind an awful smell, and cause gastrointestinal
and respiratory illness. However, research shows that cockroach debris
(old shells, saliva, body parts, and droppings) triggers asthma attacks
in people who are sensitized to cockroach antigen (proteins found in the
debris). In homes where several allergens are present, including dust
mites, mold, furry pets, tobacco smoke, and certain chemicals, children
may experience severe and frequent asthma attacks from high airborne concentrations
of these allergens.
Because young children spend more time indoors, allergens
found in homes and other buildings pose a significant health risk for
asthma sufferers. With asthma rates growing at a startling
rate, the hazard posed by the presence of any cockroaches must be addressed.
Any home with food or moisture can have cockroaches.
Kitchens and bathrooms typically have the highest number of cockroaches
due to the presence of food products and moisture from plumbing fixtures.
Apartment buildings often have the worst infestations.
The goal is to keep cockroaches out of the home and to eliminate existing
pests. Reaching this goal is not always easy, especially in multi-unit
housing that is already infested. For most apartment buildings, the landlord
must take a building-wide approach to controlling these pests. Moreover,
a coordinated effort by the landlord and all tenants is required to eliminate
cockroaches.
Generally, determining whether a home has a cockroach
problem and the extent of the infestation involves the use of glue traps,
which can be purchased at most hardware or grocery stores. The traps are
laid out in target areas, where they are left for at least one night.
Upon either filling the trap with cockroaches or waiting a predetermined
length of time, the number of cockroaches caught on the glue trap is counted
to provide an estimate of the extent of the cockroach problem in the home
environment. More detailed guidelines testing for cockroaches are available
(in English)
(en Español).
If an apartment building is to be sampled, it is best to test more than
one unit. If only one unit is tested, the landlord may claim that only
that unit is infested and put the blame for the problem solely on that
tenant. Most housing codes put responsibility for cockroach control on
the landlord if two or more units are infested.
Any home can have cockroaches. However, there are
steps you can take to prevent cockroaches from becoming a problem in your
home; identify the extent of and solutions to any potential cockroach
problem; and reduce or eliminate cockroach problems.
General maintenance and cleaning are important because they remove the
food, water, and shelter on which cockroaches depend, and block the entrances
cockroaches use to get into housing. There are many steps tenants, landlords,
and homeowners can take individually and jointly to prevent cockroach
infestation of the home environment.
- Wipe off counters, tables, and stovetops after
all meals, snacks, and food preparations.
- Keep food confined to specific areas of the house
and clean any spills immediately.
- Keep all food and garbage in tightly sealed containers,
and do not allow trash to accumulate too much.
- Do not leave dirty dishes in the sink, on the
counter, or in the dishwasher overnight.
- Fix leaky pipes, faucets, toilets, and other
plumbing problems, as well as leaky roofs.
- Use a bathroom fan that vents to the outside
after all baths and showers to reduce humidity. Dry any damp areas in
the kitchen or bathroom to keep
moisture down.
- Remove all piles of boxes, cardboard, newspapers,
etc. from both inside and around the home. Cockroaches can both live
in and eat these materials.
- Remove other clutter as well to eliminate shelter
and hiding places for cockroaches.
- Caulk all cracks and crevices throughout the home
around systems such as plumbing, electrical, and gas lines, as well
as in places like cupboards and walls.
As an added bonus, integrated pest management
techniques that control cockroaches can also help to minimize exposure
to other environmental hazards. For example, controlling
moisture by fixing leaks and drying up spills can also help
prevent exposure to lead
and mold. Safe
and effective pest management techniques must be utilized, because some
chemicals used to treat pests are toxic, may exacerbate asthma symptoms,
and are not successful at ridding homes of cockroaches.
The ultimate goal is to keep cockroaches out of a home and when necessary,
to eliminate those that are there, while keeping residents safe. Reaching
this goal can be difficult, especially in multi-unit housing that is heavily
infested. For most apartment buildings, the landlord must take a building-wide
approach to controlling cockroaches. Normally, it will take a coordinated
effort from the landlords and tenants to eliminate cockroaches. Getting
their support takes compelling evidence, such as a trap full of cockroaches
coupled with a count of the number of cockroaches.
The initial actions residents and landlords can take are regular cleaning
and maintenance to remove the food, water, and shelter for the cockroaches.
Not only will this help to prevent a cockroach problem in the first place,
it is also crucial to controlling an existing infestation and maintaining
a cockroach-free environment.
If a cockroach problem requires remedial action, there are numerous paths
of control and products available. Once a cockroach problem has been identified,
the landlord or homeowner should call an integrated
pest management (IPM) professional to conduct a formal inspection.
Care should be taken to avoid residential exposure to pesticides,
as these chemicals can be a carcinogenic
health hazard in the home. Many pesticides can also trigger asthma attacks
and cause developmental disabilities.
Pesticide sprays and fogs should not be used to control the problem.
Not only will sprays and fogs leave a residue that is hazardous to human
health, they also must be applied periodically and are not effective against
cockroaches. Baits and boric acid are safer, more preferable forms of
treatment that limit the level of human exposure to pesticides. Using
IPM practices such as these to control cockroaches are a healthier way
to eliminate the problem than spraying pesticides in your home.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
- IPM uses a combination of common-sense practices,
information on the life cycles of the pests in question and their interaction
with the environment, and available pest control methods.
- In general, practicers of IPM use modes of pest
control that are less harmful to people and the environment (such as
traps) before considering more drastic measures (such as spraying conventional
pesticides).
- IPM presents the least possible hazard to people,
property, and the environment.
- IPM is effective, economical, and environmentally
sensitive.
Alliance for Healthy Homes
Beyond Pesticides - Integrated pest management to control cockroaches
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation - Farewell
to Cockroaches Guide
Environmental Health Watch
- Cockroach
Control Guide
Gumm, Brian, Home Energy, "Integrated Pest Management in the Home,"
Vol. 21 Iss. 6 pp. 36-39 (Nov-Dec 2004)
US Environmental Protection Agency - Asthma:
Cockroaches and Other Pests
Hotlines
- Asthma No Attacks Hotline: 1-866-NO-ATTACKS
(1-866-662-8822)
- Su Familia (Your Family): 1-866-SU FAMILIA
or 1-866-783-2645
The National
Alliance for Hispanic Health sponsors this helpline to
offer Hispanic consumers free, reliable and confidential health information
in Spanish and English and help navigate callers through the health
system.
Dust mites are microscopic creatures that belong to the same class (Arachnida)
as spiders and ticks (they have eight legs, not six like insects). They
feed primarily on dead skin cells regularly shed by humans and animals.
Dust mites are found where their
main food source accumulates, such as in beds and carpets.
Unlike insects such as cockroaches, mites are not capable of ingesting
water; in order to obtain water, they must absorb it from the air. For
this reason, they thrive in humid environments, ranging from 55% to 75%
relative humidity. Ideal temperatures for dust mites are between 68º
and 77º F. The growth of dust mites can vary on a seasonal basis,
or from room to room within a house, depending largely on variations in
relative humidity, availability of food sources, and temperature. Mites
take about one month to develop from an egg into an adult and have an
adult life span of about two to four months. A single adult female may
lay up to 100 eggs.
Mite waste products contain an allergen (a substance that causes an allergic
immune reaction) that, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation
of America, adversely affects about 20 million Americans. Sensitive individuals
become exposed to this allergen when they inhale household dust, which
contains dust mites and their waste products. Exposure to dust mites can
trigger an attack in an asthmatic who is sensitive to the dust mite allergen.
(Other asthmatics may not be affected by dust mites.) For persons allergic
to dust mite allergen, exposure can cause allergic rhinitis (hay fever),
which is characterized by nasal congestion, itching, and sneezing. In
addition, exposure to dust mites may cause children who are predisposed
to develop asthma to do so. (This predisposition is not fully understood,
but appears to depend upon a combination of hereditary and environmental
factors.) For more information on asthma and allergies, see Asthma,
Allergies, and Respiratory Illnesses.
Dust mites thrive in places where dead skin cells are most likely to
be found: on mattresses, pillows, bedcovers, carpets, upholstered furniture,
stuffed toys, clothes, or other fabric items in the home.
While it is impossible to have a dust-free home, it is possible to live
in a home that minimizes dust that is carried in from the outside and
to avoid conditions that can promote allergens in dust.
Use materials that are easy to clean.
This will make it more difficult for dust
mites and mold
spores to thrive.
- Dust is easily removed from smooth and cleanable
surfaces (smooth flooring such as wood, tile, linoleum, and vinyl) through
vacuuming and mopping.
- Use a vacuum cleaner with high filtration features
(high efficiency or HEPA filter).
- Carpets pose several problems. They are generally
more difficult to vacuum effectively than hard surfaces. Also, carpets
and the sponge-like pads often installed under carpet can trap moisture
once they become wet (due to a plumbing or water leak, flood, or condensation),
providing a fertile setting for mold and dust mites.
- Short- and closed-loop-pile carpets (such as commercial
grade carpet) are typically easier to clean than loose-pile carpets
where dust and dirt falls through to the underlying material.
Clean fabrics and other dust mite havens. The following measures
will kill dust mites and reduce allergen levels.
- Wash sheets in soapy water at 130°F every
one or two weeks to kill dust mites. Take blankets to the dry cleaner,
hang them outdoors once a year, or wash them frequently.
- Cover conventional mattresses and pillows with
allergen-impermeable covers or dust mite covers (micro-porous material
to prevent infestation).
- Wash soft toys and stuffed animals regularly
in hot water, followed by thorough drying. The heat will kill off the
mites.
- Shampoo, steam clean, or beat non-washable rugs
and carpets once a year. This removes large particles missed by the
vacuum cleaner.
Reduce moisture and maintain a low relative humidity in the home.
Since dust mites cannot drink water, they need to absorb it from the air,
which is why they thrive in humid conditions. Reducing the humidity in
your home will make it less hospitable to dust mites, which do not thrive
below 60% relative humidity. It may not be feasible to completely eliminate
dust mites from homes in moderately humid climates.
One way to help reduce
moisture in the home is to run a bathroom and kitchen fan
that exhausts to the outside after showering/bathing or cooking.
Alliance for Healthy Homes
House
Dust Mite.org - Helpful animations and answers to frequently
asked questions about dust mites
US Environmental Protection Agency - Dust
Mites
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County, “House
Dust Mites.”
P. Vojta, S. Randels, J. Stout, M. Muilenbert, H. Burge, H. Lynn, H.
Mitchell, G. O’Connor, and D. Zeldin, Environmental Health Perspectives,
“Effects
of Physical Interventions on House Dust Mite Allergen Levels in Carpet,
Bed, and Upholstery Dust in Low-Income, Urban Homes,”
815-819 (August 2001).
Hotlines
- Asthma No Attacks Hotline: 1-866-NO-ATTACKS
(1-866-662-8822)
- Su Familia (Your Family): 1-866-SU FAMILIA
or 1-866-783-2645
The National
Alliance for Hispanic Health sponsors this helpline to
offer Hispanic consumers free, reliable and confidential health information
in Spanish and English and help navigate callers through the health
system.
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