Bed bugs are turning up everywhere – even in expensive hotels, office buildings and upscale condominiums. Our bed bug lawyers are investigating this phenomenon, and want to hear from anyone who recently experienced problems with bed bugs.
Getting rid of bed bugs is an expensive proposition, and often includes dismantling furniture and ripping up rugs. Because of this, many hotels and landlords would rather deny having bed bugs, and avoid taking necessary steps to protect their tenants. By failing to eliminate bed bugs, these hotels and landlords are only encouraging their spread.
If you or your family has experienced issues with bed bugs because a landlord or hotel failed to control an infestation, you may be entitled to compensation. Our firm is offering a free lawsuit consultation to all victims of bed bug infestations. We urge you to contact one of our bed bug lawyers today to protect your legal rights.
Bed Bug Infestations
Once virtually eliminated in the US, bed bug complaints are now sky-rocketing. The bed bug problem has become so bad that in August 2010, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a joint statement on bed bug control. The purpose of the statement was to highlight emerging public health issues associated with bed bugs in communities throughout the country.
Though the exact cause is not known, experts suspect the resurgence of bed bugs is associated with increased resistance of bed bugs to available pesticides, greater international and domestic travel, lack of knowledge regarding control of bed bugs, and the continuing decline or elimination of effective pest control programs at state and local public health agencies.
Bed bugs can be hidden deep in mattress seams, box springs and baseboard crevices, behind wallpaper and in clutter around beds, making it hard to spray them. And they travel easily from person to person, hotel to home, apartment to apartment, city to city.
How bad has the bed bug problem become? Consider these statistics from a September 2010 Washington Post report:
- In Baltimore, calls about bed bugs to the city’s 311 line jumped from two in December 2008 to 92 last month in August 2010.
- As of August 2010, Washington D.C.’s 311 line had fielded 257 bed bug complaints, on pace to more than double the previous year’s total.
- In Ohio, infestations are so severe that the state’s governor made two special appeals to EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.
Bed Bugs Pose a Public Health Threat
Although bed bugs are not known to transmit disease, the EPA and CDC joint statement still called them “a pest of significant public health importance.” Bed bugs fit into a category of blood-sucking ectoparasites (external parasites) similar to head lice, and feed on the blood of humans. According to the statement, bed bugs cause a variety of negative physical health, mental health and economic consequences.
Many people have mild to severe allergic reactions to bed bug bites with effects ranging from no reaction to a small bite mark to, in rare cases, anaphylaxis. Bed bug bites can lead to secondary infections of the skin such as impetigo, ecthyma, and lymphanigitis. Bed bugs may also affect the mental health of people living in infested homes. Reported effects include anxiety, insomnia and systemic reactions.
Economically, bed bug infestations are also a burden on society. Although the exact dollar amount is not known, the economic losses from health care, lost wages, lost revenue and reduced productivity can be substantial.
Need Legal Help Regarding Bedbug Infestation?
The personal injury attorneys at Parker Waichman LLP offer free, no-obligation case evaluations. For more information, fill out our online contact form or call 1-800-YOURLAWYER (1-800-968-7529).
