Cockroaches can contaminate food, carry disease, and induce allergies.
Cockroaches produce bad-tasting, odorous secretions from various points in their bodies. When cockroach populations are high, these secretions may result in a characteristic odor in the general region of the infestation, and affect the flavor of our food. The principal diseases cockroaches transmit are forms of gastroenteritis, including food poisoning, nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, dysentery, and other illnesses. Cockroach excrement and cast skins can elicit an allergic response in many people. These allergies are particularly troublesome to individuals who suffer from asthma or other lung diseases.