Health

• Kids
• Pets

Health

Pest control isn't just about having a clean home for appearance's sake. From asthma and allergies to serious viruses, bugs and rodents can cause serious health problems if left unchecked. Pest control keeps a multitude of health problems under control.

For example:

• Studies show allergens from cockroaches and rodents are a significant cause of asthma in children (particularly in urban areas²).
• The risk of insect-borne diseases like Lyme disease and West Nile virus can be reduced by controlling the ticks and mosquitoes that spread them.
• In 2008, state health departments reported nearly 29,000 confirmed cases and more than 6,000 probable cases of Lyme disease to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The case number represented a 5 percent increase from 2007.
• The numbers of documented human West Nile virus infections hit a peak in 2003, with almost 10,000 reported cases. Still, since 2005, the CDC has reported more than 12,000 people in the country diagnosed with West Nile virus infections, resulting in nearly 500 documented deaths.
• Even weeds can create health problems. Uncontrolled growth of poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac poses risk to many. More than one-half of the U.S. population is allergic to these noxious weeds.
• Cockroaches, ants and other insects can track bacteria into your home if they are not controlled. Cockroaches, for example, commonly transmit salmonella.

Pesticides are rigorously tested for their potential human health and environmental impact before they can be registered and sold for use. The pesticides available for you to use in your home have been determined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to have a reasonable certainty of no harm to human health. More details about the EPA's testing process are available on the agency web site.

Learn more about pesticides and your health

Kids' Health
Protecting Pets
Houseguests: Uncovered

²Malveaux, Floyd J. and Sheryl A. Fletcher-Vincent. 1995. Environmental Health Issues. Environmental Health Perspectives Supplements, Volume 103, Number S6.