You Can Have a Cockroach Allergy?

Cockroaches

You can have a cockroach allergy?

Yes. Certain proteins found in the waste products of cockroaches and their skeletons can cause allergic reactions, including triggering asthma attacks. Cockroach allergens may play a significant role in asthma throughout inner-city, suburban, and rural schoolsi.

Are cockroaches only found in dirty houses and schools?

Not necessarily. Cockroaches enjoy a diet of many items found in clean environments, such as the glue on book bindings, shelf paper and wallpaper. They also eat the glue found in cardboard boxes and paper bags, and can be easily and unknowingly brought into your home or school in these itemsii. Cockroaches feed off kitchen counter grease, crumbs and water.

How can I avoid and eliminate cockroaches in schools and homes?

By identifying and eliminating points of entry, nesting places, and easy food and water sources you will be well on your way to permanently eradicating cockroach infestations.

Getting Started – Eliminating Cockroaches

An integrated pest management system is suggested for controlling all pests, including cockroaches. To get started, follow these simple tips:

 Do not store cardboard boxes and paper bags in your facility, dispose of them quickly after delivery;  Use paint to cover walls instead of wallpaper, and use shelf paper without adhesive;  Clear clutter such as stacks of paper where cockroaches can hide;  Cockroaches can live for weeks without food, but not water, so repair any areas that pool water, such as below air conditioner units;  Take trash out daily, keep counters, stoves and ovens free of grease and crumbs;  Store leftover food items in sealed containers.

To find more information on cockroach allergies, implementing an integrated pest management system, improving indoor air quality visit:

Environmental Protection Agency  Tools for Schools the IAQ Tools for Schools Program is a comprehensive resource to help schools maintain a healthy environment in school buildings by identifying, correcting, and preventing IAQ problems. This program offers no-cost, low-cost solutions to reducing environmental asthma triggers.  Cockroaches and Pests Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America  Cockroach allergies i Managing Asthma in the School Environment, IAQ Tools for Schools Program, www.epa.gov ii University of Connecticut Integrated Pest Management for Cockroaches, http://www.hort.uconn.edu/Ipm/homegrnd/htms/roach.htm

Additional References: EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools Program at www.epa.org