Risks

for American Cockroach

The main documented health concern is allergens. UF/IFAS reports that the roaches shed feces, cast skins, and body parts such as antennae and legs that act as allergens, leaving sensitive people with rashes and other reactions; Penn State likewise counts asthma among the responses to cockroach excrement and shed skins, alongside watery eyes, nasal congestion, and sneezing. Source: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IG082 Source: https://extension.psu.edu/american-cockroaches

They are also a food-safety concern. UF reports the insects can spread diseases such as Salmonella, and UC IPM adds that, having met sewage and pet droppings, they can carry the food-poisoning bacteria Salmonella and Shigella. Texas A&M is careful to say the species is not a proven direct disease carrier, but it does foul food and utensils, making contamination the practical hazard. Source: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IG082 Source: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/cockroaches/ Source: https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/blattodea/american-cockroach/

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