Cockroaches Bite With 50 Times Their Body Weight
Researchers from Germany and Great Britain performed academic research and reported in the journals.plos.org that the biomechanics and bite forces of the American Cockroach are “fast and powerful”.
Resident Trying to Eliminate Cockroaches Causes Apartment Explosion
NBC News New Jersey reported that an apartment resident in New Jersey caused an explosion after trying to eliminate an cockroach infestation with a bug spray.
Fire Fighters determine that after the resident opened a window to clear out the chemical smell, the incoming oxygen combines with the chemical used were ignited by the apartment’s gas pilot light.
The blast caused significant damage to the apartment.
NEW STUDY EXAMINES COCKROACHES-CHILDHOOD ASTHMA LINK
Columbia University researchers found that homes in neighborhoods where asthma is common have more cockroach, mouse and cat allergens than other neighborhoods.
NEW YORK – Researchers say cockroach infestations may be linked to the high rate of children with asthma in certain New York City neighborhoods. Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health published their study in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, WSJ.com reports.
They found that homes in neighborhoods where asthma is common have more cockroach, mouse and cat allergens than other neighborhoods. And they found that children in those neighborhoods were more than twice as likely to have blood test results showing they have a sensitivity to cockroach allergen. Nearly 240 middle-income children participated in the research as part of the New York City Neighborhood Asthma and Allergy Study. About 130 of them have asthma.
Researchers measured allergen exposure by examining dust samples collected from the upper half of children’s beds.
AirTran Sued Over Cockroaches on Flight
Source: CNN
A North Carolina couple is suing AirTran Airways, alleging that cockroaches crawled out of air vents and overhead carry-on bins during a flight from Charlotte to Houston .
Attorney Harry Marsh and his fiancé Kaitlin Rush say the insects appeared soon after takeoff, and when Marsh pointed them out to flight attendants, they did nothing to help.
“These roaches and other pests caused great distress to a number of passengers throughout the flight,” the complaint states.
All paying guests of the airline are entitled to “clean, pest-free” accommodations, it goes on to say.
The couple accuses AirTran of negligence and recklessness, infliction of emotional distress, nuisance, false imprisonment and unfair and deceptive trade practices, and is suing for more than $100,000 plus the price of their tickets.
In a response to the complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, AirTran denies most of the allegations.