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For pet owners, dogs and cats are beloved members of the family. Not only do pets complement our needs to nurture, but also they contribute to children's awareness of other dependent living things.

Each year, however, Americans purchase and apply to their pets a vast array of toxic chemicals intended to kill fleas and ticks. These products are designed to poison insects, but they can also poison pets and the people who handle them. Moreover, when these products are combined in the home, as they often are, with other toxic chemical products in common use—pesticides, herbicides, and other products—they pose a serious health risk, especially to children.

Adults are at risk from these flea and tick products as well, but it is children who are most vulnerable. Because children's bodies are still developing, they are more sensitive to the effects of toxic chemicals than adults. Studies with laboratory animals have raised concerns among scientists that children exposed to certain pesticides in pet products (even at levels believed to be safe for adults) face much higher risks, not only for acute poisoning, but also for longer-term problems with brain function and other serious disease. Moreover, children's behavior often makes them more vulnerable than adults. In particular, toddlers' hand-to-mouth tendencies make it easy for toxics to be ingested. Children spend their time where the toxics from pet products tend to accumulate—crawling on rugs, playing with pet toys, and more.

Of course, as bad as these products may be for pet owners and caregivers, they often are worse for the pets themselves. Based on the very limited data available, it appears that hundreds and probably thousands of pets have been injured or killed through exposure to pet products containing pesticides. Like small children, pets cannot communicate when they're being poisoned at low doses.

What You Are Up Against

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not begin seriously examining the risks from pesticides in pet products until 1996, after passage of the Food Quality Protection Act. To this day, the EPA allows the manufacture and sale of pet products containing hazardous insecticides with little or no demonstration that a child's exposure to these ingredients would be safe.

Some other facts to consider:

Though EPA's risk assessments of organophosphate pesticides (OPs) in pet products are recent, the EPA has long identified OPs as being among the pesticides posing the highest risks to human health.

OPs disturb the transmission of nerve signals to the brain and nervous system of mammals, concerning to young children and fetuses, because their systems are still developing when they are exposed to OPs.

There are immediate risks from poisoning as well as risks from long-term effects on the brain and nervous system.

Chemicals such as OPs can interrupt and have irreversible effects on a child's brain development or lead to increased risks for later-in-life problems such as cancer and Parkinson's disease.7 OPs are also considered the most dangerous pesticides for acute poisoning, particularly for children younger than six.

Cats constantly lick their fur and, if treated with chemicals, consume a lot more poison than dogs. Cats are particularly vulnerable to poisoning since they often lack key enzymes for metabolizing or detoxifying OPs. As with children, a cat's small size and unique behavior—in this case, grooming—make them particularly vulnerable to OP poisoning.

What You Can Do

STOP using OP-based products immediately. The seven organophosphates (OPs) you want to avoid are chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos, tetrachlorvinphos, malathion, diazinon, phosmet, and naled.₆ Six of these have been phased out, but tetrachlorvinphos, is still found in stores. The other poisons which can be found in pet products are carbamates. The chemical names to watch out for are carbaryl and propoxur. At the very least, forbid children to apply flea shampoos, dusts, dips, etc. containing OPs and carbamates to pets.

BEGIN using safer products on your pets. Shampoos are safest and fatty acid soaps, purchased at pet shops or garden nurseries, are recommended.

GROOM pets regularly with a flea comb while inspecting for fleas, dipping comb frequently in hot soapy water.

MAINTAIN clean bedding for your pets. Choose pads and pillows with removable, washable covers of natural fibers such as cotton, linen, or washable wool.

VACUUM at least once every two weeks around pet sleeping areas to minimize flea infestations and interrupt their lifecycle. Seal the vacuum bags with tape before disposal to prevent flea eggs hatching in your trash can. Remember to vacuum the interior of your car if your pet is accustomed to riding with you.


REPEL insects before they attack. A lemon-based repellant for dogs can be sprayed on or adding certain foods to your pets diet can help repel fleas.

SEPARATE your treatment methods for dogs and cats, using nontoxic products specifically made for each of them. Some treatments that are perfectly fine for dogs are quite toxic for cats.

EXCUSE yourself from litter-box duty altogether if you are pregnant. Becoming infected with toxoplasmosis can damage your developing child.

PHONE your local poison control center if you think you or your pet has been affected by a pet product containing pesticides. Report the incident to the EPA's National Pesticide Telecommunications Network, at 800-858-7378.

Resources:

American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA)
Poisons on Pets: Health Hazards from Flea and Tick Products, Natural Resources Defense Council
Whole Dog Journal

References

₁ Family Pesticide Use and Childhood Brain Cancer, J. R. Davis et al., Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 1993

₂ Pest Control for Home and Garden, M Hansen, Consumers Union, Yonkers, NY 1993

₃ Health Symptoms and Occupational Exposure to Flea Control Products by California's Pet Handlers, Journal of American Industrial Hygiene Association, 1989

₄ Basic Guide to Pesticides: Their Characteristics and Hazards, S. A. Briggs and Rachel Carson Council, Washington, DC, Taylor and Francis, 1998

₅ Poisons on Pets: Health Hazards from Flea and Tick Products, David Wallinga, Report of National Resource Defense Council 2000

₆ Pet Products Registered for Seven Organophosphates, James Beech, US EPA Office of Pesticide Programs, June 3, 2000

₇ Family Pesticide Use and Childhood Brain Cancer, James R. Davis, et al., Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 24, 87-92

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