High levels of industrial chemicals are showing up in American pets. A fairly recent study performed by the Environmental Working Group has documented that pets were positive for 48 of the 70 chemicals tested. On average, dogs had 40% higher and cats had 96% higher levels of these chemicals than were found in people. These chemicals are known carcinogens or toxic to the reproductive, endocrine, or neurologic systems.

This study did not prove that these chemicals were causing illness in pets, however, these chemicals have been linked to serious human health problems. The numbers are even more alarming given that pets have much higher cancer rates and endocrine disorders than people.

This study documents that dogs and cats are exposed to a complex mixture of industrial chemicals. Since pets breathe in, ingest or absorb the same chemicals that are in our environment, exposures that pose risks for pets pose risks for human health as well. This is a wake-up call that stronger safety standards for industrial chemicals are needed to protect ALL members of American families.

Help decrease your pet’s exposure to chemicals:

• Bathe your pet more frequently (with a natural herbal oil grooming product) to remove chemicals that may be airborne and deposit on their fur. Avoid grooming products with ingredients such as “paraben”, “-eth”, and “fragrance” as these are chemicals which can be absorbed through the skin.
• Wipe down your pets coat, feet and legs every time they come in from outdoors. This will decrease their chance of ingesting chemicals during their normal daily grooming.
• Remove your shoes at the door to avoid tracking in harmful chemicals. Dust and vacuum (with a HEPA-filter system) frequently to remove dirt and dust which has been documented to be contaminated with fire-retardant chemicals, heavy metals and pesticides.

Click on the title to read the entire article, “Dogs and Cats May Be The Proverbial Canaries in the Coal Mine“.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 at 10:00 am and is filed under Dr Donna Spector, Pet Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.