Cockroaches, dust main source of allergens: study

Cockroaches and home dust are the top sources of allergens affecting first-graders who suffer from asthma in Taipei City, a survey released yesterday showed.

The city’s Department of Health found in a survey of 24,458 first-graders in 153 schools that cockroaches and dust affected 92 percent of asthma sufferers.

The second-biggest source of allergens is animal fur, affecting 56 percent of sufferers, the survey found. The No. 3 source of allergens, affecting 50 percent of sufferers, is milk or albumen, the department said.