Oh, absolutely we ought to treat all people with apnea; and clean up the environment for everyone. However, science often proceeds by noting that something is common to one group, correlating it with something else common to that group and going on from there. To deny a grouping, in this case race, a place in the research; could slow it down, to everyone's detriment. Science works best when it is allowed to make as many types of connections as possible, and then to test them.

Besides, if we don't allow people to test this hypothesis into the ground; then we cede the field to them by default. If only people expecting a certain result, and likely therefore to bias the results their way, test a hypothesis; then the science done will be more likely to be twisted.