In the first group, the families are moved from their homes. In the second group, families stay in their homes and cleaners come in monthly for six months. In the third group, the children see Schroeder regularly and nothing is done to their homes. They saw me on regular basis. Most of the children come from families living below the poverty line, and the flare-ups of asthma are tied to environmental factors, such as cockroach droppings.
Cockroaches love water, and are attracted to leaky faucets.
Asthmatics also frequently have problems with animal dander and dust mites. Many of these families, Schroeder says, keep cats to catch mice. Compounding their problems, most of the children are not taken to pediatricians on a regular basis. In the Bronx, there are two doctors per 2,000 people. In Manhattan, there are 60 per 1,000.