Foster's Daily Democrat, Jason G. Howe
Published April 21, 2008
Pet owners may want to think twice before they let Fido snooze on the new couch, or sprawl on the wall-to-wall carpet.
And they may not want to let their toddler crawl too frequently on the soft, new stain-resistant rug.
A first-of-its-kind study has discovered family pets in homes across the country could be absorbing industrial chemicals from the carpets and synthetic household materials they spend so much time on.
Scientists with the Environmental Working Group called their findings "startling," but hailed the result as a possible warning for families with young children.
Researchers found dogs and cats were contaminated with 48 of 70 industrial chemicals tested, including 43 chemicals at levels higher than those typically found in people, according to a study of blood and urine from 20 dogs and 40 cats.
"Like humans, pets are also exposed to toxic chemicals on a daily basis, and as this investigation found, are contaminated at higher levels," said Jane Houlihan, vice president of research at EWG. "The presence of chemicals in dogs and cats sounds a cautionary warning for the present and future health of children as well."
A prior, preliminary finding by EWG, in conjunction with other agencies, discovered the umbilical cord blood of newborns averaged contamination by 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants. The cord blood, which was gathered by Red Cross after the cord was cut, harbored pesticides, consumer product ingredients, and wastes from burning coal, gasoline, and garbage. Most are listed by the federal government as toxic to humans and animals. Center for Disease Control statistics show 180 cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests, according to EWG's results.
However, there are no pre- or post-natal studies to determine the actual effect of such absorption.
The more recent study also found average levels of many chemicals were substantially higher in pets than is typical for adult humans, with 2.4 times higher levels of stain-and greaseproof coatings (perfluorochemicals) in dogs and 23 times more fire retardants (PBDEs) in cats.
They also found more than five times the amounts of mercury in cats, compared to average levels in people found in national studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and EWG.
Scientists believe the higher levels are a result of the pets frequent contact with household comforts like wall-to-wall carpeting, some new furniture, and other pretreated, synthetic items, the study said.
"This study shows that our pets are susceptible to the absorption of potentially harmful chemicals from our environment," Dr. John Billeter, DVM, the veterinarian who conducted the study, said in a press release. "Perhaps even more troubling is that these chemicals have been found in higher levels in pets than in humans implying potential harmful consequences for their health and well being and the need for further study."
Health problems in pets span high rates of cancer in dogs and skyrocketing incidence of hyperthyroidism in cats. Genetic changes can't explain the increases in certain health problems among pets, leaving scientists to believe chemical exposures play a significant role.
Scientists also say understanding the role of such exposure on humans is difficult because of the time the chemical takes to manifest itself in symptoms, and it is seldom traceable.
But because animals develop and age at a much quicker rate, they exhibit the possible physical damage such chemicals cause over a shorter period, effectively making them unwitting test subjects.
"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," said Dr. Larry Glickman, a scientist whose comments appeared with the study.
For more information on the pet study, visit
www.ewg.org/reports/pets , or to read more about the infant study, visit http://archive.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php .
