Infested apartments driving up asthma rates

A new report says that rat, mouse, and cockroach infestations in Bushwick apartments are driving the asthma rate in that Brooklyn neighborhood to four times higher than the city average. Also, the rate of hospital visits for asthma in Bushwick was 991 per 100,000 in 2003, which is nearly four times greater than the citywide average of 262. more [NYDN]