Report Date NRDC Issue Paper April 2009 ReportPoison onor PetsIssue II Paper Title Toxic Chemicals in Flea and Tick Collars Authors Miriam Rotkin-Ellman, MPH Gina Solomon, MD, MPH Contributing Authors Maria Minjares, MPH Harris Epstein POISON ON PETS II: Toxic Chemicals in Flea and Tick Collars ABOUT NRDC The Natural Resources Defense Council is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 1.2 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world’s natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank all of the study participants for their invaluable contributions to the project; Susan Kegley, PhD for her help with the risk assessments; and Patty Hiatt from the California Poison Control System for her assistance in obtaining information on flea control product poisonings. We would also like to thank the following NRDC colleagues for their assistance and guidance throughout the preparation of this paper: Gabriela Chavarria, PhD; Linda Greer, PhD; and Jennifer Sass, PhD. Finally, we are grateful to the Ziering Family Foundation, the John Merck Fund, and the Belden Fund for their support. NRDC Director of Communications: Phil Gutis NRDC Marketing and Operations Director: Alexandra Kennaugh NRDC Publications Director: Lisa Goffredi NRDC Publications Editor: Anthony Clark Production: Maxine Kim, [email protected] Copyright 2009 by the Natural Resources Defense Council. For additional copies of this report, send $5.00 plus $3.95 shipping and handling to NRDC Publications Department, 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011. California residents must add 7.5% sales tax. Please make checks payable to NRDC in U.S. dollars. The report is also available online at www.nrdc.org/policy. This report is printed on paper that is 100 percent post-consumer recycled fiber, processed chlorine free. Natural Resources Defense Council I 2 POISON ON PETS II: Toxic Chemicals in Flea and Tick Collars Table of Contents Executive Summary 4 CHAPTER 1: NRDC Finds Hazardous Chemical Residue Levels on Pet Fur 7 CHAPTER 2: The EPA Has Failed To Regulate Hazardous Pet Products 13 CHAPTER 3: Conclusion And Recommendations for Keeping Pets and People Safe 15 Endnotes 17 Natural Resources Defense Council I 3 POISON ON PETS II: Toxic Chemicals in Flea and Tick Collars Executive Summary mericans spend more than $1 billion each year on products designed to kill fleas and ticks on household pets, especially dogs and cats.1 While some of A these products are safe, others leave harmful chemical residues on our pets’ fur and in our homes. These chemicals are highly hazardous to animals and humans, can damage the brain and nervous system, and cause cancer.2 A first-of-its-kind study by NRDC shows that high levels of pesticide residue can remain on a dog’s or cat’s fur for weeks after a flea collar is put on an animal. Residue levels produced by some flea collars are so high that they pose a risk of cancer and damage to the neurological system of children up to 1,000 times higher than the EPA’s acceptable levels. Children are particularly at risk from these pesticides because their neurological and metabolic systems are still developing. They are also more likely than adults to put their hands in their mouths after petting an animal, and so are more likely to ingest the hazardous residues. We found that residues from two pesticides used in flea collars—tetrachlorvinphos and propoxur, among the most dangerous pesticides still legally on the market—were high enough to pose a risk to both children and adults who play with their pets. Residues from two pesticides used in flea collars were high enough to pose a risk to both children and adults who play with their pets. Natural Resources Defense Council I 4 POISON ON PETS II: Toxic Chemicals in Flea and Tick Collars California has already determined that one of these pesticides, propoxur, causes cancer and that consumer warnings are required. NRDC is suing major manufacturers and retailers of flea collars with propoxur to make them comply with this requirement or pull the products from California shelves. However, California’s laws are not enough—the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should step in to ban these dangerous products nationwide. Retailers should help keep pets and families safe by pulling products that contain tetrachlorvinphos and propoxur from their shelves. Keep Your Pets and Family Safe and Flea-Free 1. Avoid using flea control products with dangerous pesticides by giving your pet regular baths with a pesticide- free pet shampoo, and using a flea comb between baths. Launder your pet’s bedding in hot water and vacuum carpets regularly to eliminate flea eggs that could be hidden there. 2. If you do need to use a chemical flea control product, the safest options are generally those dispensed as a pill. These usually contain the least toxic chemicals, and better still they don’t leave a residue on your pet or in your home. 3. Check the label. If you do need to buy an off-the-shelf flea and tick product, avoid flea collars that list tetrachlorvinphos or propoxur as active ingredients. Other products to avoid include permethrin-based products, and tick-control products containing amitraz. Instead, opt for products whose labels list lufenuron, spinosad, methoprene, or pyriproxyfen. These are common and effective insect growth regulators. 4. Visit greenpaws.org for a comprehensive list of brand-name products with their chemical ingredients and more information about health risks from pesticides. Flea and Tick Collars Contain Dangerous Chemicals Two dangerous pesticides—tetrachlorvinphos and propoxur—are common ingredients in flea and tick collars: Tetrachlorvinphos (TCVP) is an organophosphate pesticide and is toxic to the nervous system. Young children are particularly susceptible because their brains are still developing, and their ability to metabolize these chemicals is impaired relative to adults. In addition, TCVP is designated by EPA as a likely human carcinogen.3 Propoxur is a chemical in the N-methyl carbamate class of insecticides, which is closely related to the organophosphates. In addition to its neurological toxicity, propoxur is a known human carcinogen. In August 2006, California added it to a list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer.4 Both tetrachlorvinphos and propoxur interfere with an essential enzyme (acetylcholinesterase) that normally controls messaging between nerve cells. The result of exposure is spasmodic overexcitation of the nervous system; this is the mechanism by which fleas and ticks are killed. In large doses, these chemicals can also harm or kill cats, dogs, and in extreme poisoning cases even humans. More commonly, at lower levels of exposure, these chemicals cause a variety of poisoning symptoms, many of which can mimic common illnesses; these include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, wheezing, sweating, and tearing eyes. More severe poisoning can cause muscle twitching, drooling, seizures, respiratory paralysis, and death. Some recent research indicates that exposure to this type of pesticide can impair children’s neurological development, resulting in pervasive disorders that may include delays in motor development and attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder.5,6 Natural Resources Defense Council I 5 POISON ON PETS II: Toxic Chemicals in Flea and Tick Collars NRDC Study Finds Pesticide Residues from Pet Collars That Pose Neurological and Cancer Risks NRDC’s study found that after only three days, 50 percent of the pets wearing collars with tetrachlorvinphos had enough residue on their fur to pose neurological risks exceeding the U.S. EPA’s acceptable dose level for toddlers who spend an average amount of time with their pet. (The EPA level is considered to be without appreciable harm.) For toddlers who have a lot of contact with a pet or have multiple pets, 80 percent of the dogs and 100 percent of the cats had residue that exceeded acceptable levels. After three days, 100 percent of the pets wearing collars containing the pesticide propoxur had residues on their fur posing a neurological risk to toddlers, with residues that exceeded acceptable levels for those spending an average amount of time touching a pet. After 14 days, 75 percent of the pets we tested still had residue levels of propoxur that exceeded the acceptable amount for average contact with a pet, and 100 percent had residue levels that could be dangerous for children with a lot of contact. The propoxur collars were also found to contaminate indoor household air, meaning that the hazardous pesticide could be inhaled as well as absorbed through the skin and ingested from direct contact with the pet. NRDC calculations reveal that the levels of propoxur on the fur of the dogs in our study could also increase the risk of cancer. For adults we found a cancer risk of 56 to 558 excess cancers per million people exposed—50 to 500 times greater than what the EPA considers acceptable for pesticides. When we used EPA guidelines to calculate the increased risks associated with exposures in children, cancer risk soared to 157 to 1,566 excess cancers per million, more than 1,000 times higher than the EPA’s acceptable levels. Although our study was small, the fact that the residue levels were so high indicates a problem that needs to be addressed by manufacturers, retailers, and government agencies. The EPA Must Keep Consumers Safe from Toxic Pesticides in Pet Products In spite of the known adverse effects of these pesticides on children, and although there are safer alternatives available, both tetrachlorvinphos and propoxur are still legal for sale to consumers to control fleas on pets.