Environment
Study: Dogs, cats polluted with high levels of toxic industrial chemicals
By Ben Wasserman
Apr 21, 2008 - 10:34:21 AM

MONDAY April 21, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Cats and dogs are more polluted with toxic synthetic industrial chemicals than humans, according to a new study released on April 17 by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), which has early found a range of toxic chemicals in newborns.

The study of blood and urine samples from 20 dogs and 40 cats showed the pets were contaminated with 48 of 70 industrial chemicals tested including 43 at levels higher than those typically found in people.

Dogs had 2.4 times higher levels of perfluorochemicals used as strain- and grease-proof coatings and cats had 23 times more flame retardants or PBDEs and more than 5 times the amounts of mercury compared to average levels in people found in national studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the EWG.

The findings are significant because as the EWG said dogs and cats may be serving as sentinels for human health problems that can arise from exposures to industrial chemicals due to their closeness to humans.

"The presence of chemicals in dogs and cats sounds a cautionary warning for the present and future health of children as well. This study demonstrating the chemical body burden of dogs and cats is a wake-up call for stronger safety standards from industrial chemical exposures that will protect all members of our families, including our pets," said Jane Houlihan, VP for Research at EWG.

"This study is valuable in that it used pet animals that live in nearly fifty percent of all US households as environmental sentinels to measure the level of contamination with a wide variety of industrial chemicals that have also been shown to be present in human tissue," said Dr. Larry Glickman – a leading veterinarian and distinguished scientist who for the past three decades conducted research in veterinary epidemiology.

"Because pet animals tend to have similar or higher concentrations of these chemicals in their body than humans, epidemiological studies of pets can be used to identify potential adverse health effects at a lower cost and in a much shorter period of time than it would take to perform similar studies in humans."

The EWG suggests in a statement that dogs and cats just like children ingest pollutants in tap water, processed foods, play on lawns with pesticide residues or breathe in an array of indoor air contaminants.  But the pets are more sensitive than children to the toxicity of the pollutants and they can develop health problems faster than children because they have a shorter lifespan, developing and aging seven or more times faster than children.

According to the EWG, under current federal law, chemical companies do not have to prove chemicals are safe before they are used in products including pet toys and other products for dogs and cats.

Previous studies have found cats are contaminated with high levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs, persistent chemicals used in carpet pads, furniture, and electronic.  A study by Janice Dye, a U.S. EPA research biologist showed "All cats are high [compared with humans], and some cats are incredibly high."

The current study may in part explain why dogs have high rates of cancer and cats have high incidence of hyperthyroidism. The findings suggest that industrial pollutants in our food and environment may also pose a serious health risk to humans.

For more information on the study, read the full report.