Chemicals And Environmental Toxins

by Barbara J. Andrews

Dog Itching?  On steroids or other anti-itch?  Skin Problems?  Flea Allergies?  Changes in Personality?  Liver problems?  The list (and the treatment cost) goes on and on.  Vets treat the symptoms, they are not detectives.

In 1993, the Burke family of St. James, NY filed suit against Dow Chemical Company and Core Marketing, the company that produces Rid-A-Bug. Their suit charged that chemicals in the spray cross the placental barrier and caused severe damage to two of their unborn children. Their first child was born with congenital cataracts, static encephalopathy (brain damage), hydrocephalus ("water on the brain"), and cerebral palsy, a medical term which covers a wide number of muscular and motor disorders. The wife was pregnant again before they suspected the magnitude of the problem or it's possible source.

The Burke's dog Dino, came and went as he pleased. Concerned about tick-related disease, they regularly used Rid-A-Bug on the carpets. The flea and tick killer contains xylene (a solvent) and chlorpyifos, trade name Dursban, which is a neurotoxin. 

Not satisfied with do-it-yourself treatments, the Burkes decided to call in an exterminator who told them they would have to leave during the treatment. He warned them that the pesticide could harm youngsters and that Mrs. Burke, being pregnant, could also be at risk. This was the tip-off, raising horrible doubts for the Burke family. Sure enough, their second child was born with cataracts, severe brain damage, and cerebral palsy. 

There are many more details to this tragic story. The point is, we still don't know enough about short term exposure to certain chemicals (agent orange is a good example of scientific blundering) much less the long term effects on human health. And who is looking out for your pets?

Regarding carpet, according to a report published in Home Mechanix: Carpets not only attract and hold dirt, dust, micro-organisms, toxic pesticides, and even lead; they retain many of these contaminants in spite of through vacuuming. In addition, wall-to-wall carpet must be cleaned with strong chemicals that may harm your children or pets. Remember, both are several feet closer to the floor and often make full body contact with the carpet in addition to directly inhaling chemical content.   A safer solution would be area carpeting, which can be removed and cleaned with safer products.

The development of highly toxic substances has enabled the United States to lead the world in agricultural production, but not without health costs. According to Jeffrey Brent, M.D. of the Rocky Mountain Poison Control Center in Denver, common pesticides such as Diazinon and Malathion can be particularly hazardous. Dr. Brent says that organophosphates "are more harmful to pets than fungicides or herbicides such as Chlorothalonil or Dicamba. Most herbicides are fairly harmless to most pets." 

Relying on product labels can be foolhardy. Ingredients may not have been tested for that use or approved by the appropriate agencies. If an ingredient is not specifically on the forbidden list, it may be used even though known to be toxic.

Beware of lawn chemicals which are absorbed through the paw pads.  Acid rain can contaminate outside water buckets as well as lawn surfaces.  Last but not least, approach new medicinal and vaccines with caution until they have been proven in routine public use.  

Education is the key to prevention.  Your pets and children depend on you to understand the risks of chemical toxicity in their environment.