In this week's episode of ER , you saw Dr. Del Amico kill a cockroach in her kitchen with a shoe, much to the surprise of Carter. Cockroaches can pose a health hazard to people with allergies and asthma, according to Patricia Robuck, BSN, MPH and PhD candidate at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
Cockroaches do pose a problem for asthmatics and allergy sufferers.
It's not the critters themselves that are a threat to people, but rather a substance, or allergen, they leave behind. This allergen is found in the roaches' saliva, feces, egg casings and on the outsides of their bodies. Since the cockroaches are literally covered with this allergen, they are capable of leaving some everywhere they go. The allergen is what asthmatics and allergy sufferers inhale and ingest. Research has shown that people who have both allergies and asthma and have continuous exposure to the roaches have more serious asthma.