Health & Fitness
Bedbugs on BART reported, where will they turn up next?
Bedbugs found on BART train shows need to take action at the county level.
Bedbugs, a problem well known to residents of Concord were found on a BART train last week, highlighting the mobility of these pests and the critical need to consider a regional response.
Local members of Tenants Together California's statewide tenants rights group worked with the city of Concord to make the insects a priority and designate them as a public nuisance; However reports of bedbugs on regional rapid transit (BART) should be a wake up call to Contra Costa County officials, clearly the work is incomplete if the issue is not lifted to the county wide level.
By Katy Nelson for Contra Costa Times
Find out what's happening in Concordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
A BART train has been temporarily taken out of service after a rider reported finding bedbugs on his leg while on his way to work, an agency spokeswoman said.
On Thursday, a rider got to work and said he found some bedbugs on his leg after getting on a train at 19th Street in Oakland, said BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost. The train was a San Francisco International Airport-bound train.
Find out what's happening in Concordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Trost said the man, who has not been identified, emailed BART and one of the agency's customer service representatives immediately notified personnel of the report. The train was found a short time later, taken out of service and sent for a cleaning, Trost added.
"Our vehicles are not conducive hosts for insect habitation or propagation, but it is possible that insects can be introduced via the person or belongings of any other riders," Trost said in a statement Saturday.
