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Polluted Pets: All test results
The Environmental Working Group has conducted a study of industrial chemicals in samples of blood and urine from 20 dogs and 40 cats collected at a Virginia veterinary clinic. For each of 70 chemicals, two composite samples were analyzed, one for dogs and one for cats. The table below gives the detailed findings from the study. The results shown, which reflect an average level in the animals tested, are compared to arithmetic average levels found in national studies of chemicals in people, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC 2008), and the Environmental Working Group (EWG 2008) when data from CDC were not available.
| Chemical/Chemical group | Dog result (multiple of humans) | Cat result (multiple of humans) | Average human result (source) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy metals and bisphenol A | |||
| Bisphenol A (ug/g creatinine in urine) | 1.1 (0.267x) | not detected | 4.1 (2,514 people by CDC) |
| Lead (ug/dL wet weight in whole blood) | 0.54 (0.305x) | 0.216 (0.122x) | 1.77 (9,179 people by CDC) |
| Mercury, total (ug/L wet weight in whole blood) | 0.82 (0.758x) | 5.9 (5.45x) | 1.08 (9,179 people by CDC) |
| Methylmercury (ug/L wet weight in whole blood) | 0.76 (0.702x) | 4.81 (4.44x) | 1.08 (9,179 people by CDC) |
| Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) (ng/mL wet weight in blood serum) | |||
| Total Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) | 89.8 (3.07x) | 28 (0.959x) | 29.2 (47 people by EWG) |
| PFDA (Perfluorodecanoic acid) | 0.796 (4.68x) | 1.23 (7.23x) | 0.17 (2,094 people by CDC) |
| PFHpA (Perfluoroheptanoic acid) | not detected | 0.826 (14.6x) | 0.0567 (2,094 people by CDC) |
| PFHxS (Perfluorohexansulfonate) | 30.9 (10.7x) | 5.19 (1.8x) | 2.89 (1,591 people by CDC) |
| PFNA (Perfluorononanoic acid) | 2.97 (2.68x) | 2.39 (2.16x) | 1.11 (2,094 people by CDC) |
| PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) | 3.5 (0.818x) | 3.97 (0.928x) | 4.28 (2,094 people by CDC) |
| PFOS (Perfluorooctanesulfonate) | 49.6 (1.54x) | 12.4 (0.385x) | 32.2 (1,591 people by CDC) |
| PFUnA (Perfluoroundecanoic acid) | not detected | 0.756 (9.74x) | 0.0776 (2,094 people by CDC) |
| PFBA (Perfluorobutyric acid) | 1.99 (8.04x) | 1.26 (5.09x) | 0.247 (47 people by EWG) |
| Phthalates(ug/g creatinine in urine) | |||
| Total Phthalates | 365 (0.581x) | 536 (0.854x) | 628 (8,154 people by CDC) |
| Mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl)phthalate | 45.8 (1.09x) | 2.26 (0.0538x) | 42 (5,506 people by CDC) |
| Mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl)phthalate | 8.9 (0.328x) | not detected | 27.1 (5,506 people by CDC) |
| Mono-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate | 23.4 (3.3x) | 6.2 (0.874x) | 7.09 (8,154 people by CDC) |
| Monobenzyl phthalate | 121 (4.53x) | 9.5 (0.357x) | 26.6 (8,154 people by CDC) |
| Monoethyl phthalate | 89.7 (0.187x) | 55.5 (0.116x) | 479 (8,154 people by CDC) |
| Monomethyl phthalate | not detected | 452 (98.6x) | 4.58 (5,506 people by CDC) |
| Mono-butyl phthalate | 76.5 (2.19x) | 11.4 (0.325x) | 35 (8,154 people by CDC) |
| Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (ng/g lipid weight in blood serum) | |||
| Total Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) | 113 (2.67x) | 986 (23.4x) | 42.1 (99 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-209 | 98.8 (16.8x) | 360 (61.2x) | 5.89 (99 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-206 | 3.44 (14x) | 11.7 (47.6x) | 0.246 (99 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-207 | 3.27 (6.44x) | 52.1 (103x) | 0.507 (99 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-208 | 2.31 (6.92x) | 20.6 (61.7x) | 0.333 (99 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-183 | 0.127 (0.73x) | 9.96 (57.5x) | 0.173 (99 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-138 | 0.0211 (0.392x) | 3.34 (62.1x) | 0.0538 (99 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-140 | not detected | 0.934 (17.4x) | 0.0537 (59 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-85 | 0.0306 (0.0199x) | 3.34 (2.17x) | 1.54 (2,000 people by CDC) |
| PBDE-153 | 2.01 (0.253x) | 29.4 (3.7x) | 7.96 (99 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-154 | 0.0776 (0.0647x) | 20.9 (17.5x) | 1.2 (2,014 people by CDC) |
| PBDE-99 | 0.674 (0.0521x) | 258 (20x) | 12.9 (1,985 people by CDC) |
| PBDE-155 | not detected | 1.91 (32.1x) | 0.0593 (59 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-100 | 0.111 (0.0113x) | 21.1 (2.15x) | 9.81 (2,040 people by CDC) |
| PBDE-47 | 1.01 (0.0207x) | 184 (3.76x) | 49 (2,016 people by CDC) |
| PBDE-49 | not detected | 0.477 (3.91x) | 0.122 (59 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-51 | not detected | 0.189 (18.5x) | 0.0102 (59 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-17 | 0.0232 (0.634x) | 0.579 (15.8x) | 0.0366 (99 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-203 | 0.607 (5.67x) | 3.11 (29.1x) | 0.107 (99 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-166 | 0.0211 (0.323x) | 3.34 (59 people by EWG) | |
| PBDE-119 | not detected | 0.287 (13.9x) | 0.0206 (59 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-66 | not detected | 1 (1.77x) | 0.565 (1,999 people by CDC) |
| PBDE-71 | not detected | 0.396 (71.3x) | 0.00556 (99 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-25 | 0.0232 (0.378x) | 0.579 (9.43x) | 0.0614 (59 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-33 | 0.0459 (0.056x) | 1.03 (1.26x) | 0.819 (59 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-120 | not detected | 0.287 (13.9x) | 0.0206 (59 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-28 | 0.0459 (0.119x) | 1.03 (2.68x) | 0.386 (1,992 people by CDC) |
| PBDE-126 | not detected | 0.137 (310x) | 0.000442 (59 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-35 | not detected | 0.18 (59x) | 0.00305 (59 people by EWG) |
| PBDE-15 | 0.0904 (0.41x) | 0.313 (1.42x) | 0.221 (59 people by EWG) |