Pet Health
Pets live in our yards in ways we do not. They roll around, sniff, and even consume the outdoor environment. Studies link lawn products with a significantly higher risk of canine malignant lymphoma (CML). Weed killers containing 2,4-D have been specifically linked to canine cancers, including lymphoma and bladder cancer. 2,4-D is found in many lawn care products including in combination products such as Weed-N-Feed type formulation, which are banned in most of Canada and parts of Europe.
In 2020, it was reported that a new study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment found Potential role of veterinary flea products in widespread pesticide contamination of English Rivers. Sites immediately downstream of wastewater treatment works had the highest levels of fipronil and imidacloprid (a neonicotinoid), supporting the hypothesis that potentially significant quantities of pesticides from veterinary flea products may be entering the waterways via household drains (Perkins, Whitehead, Civil, Goiulson. 02-10-21). In the UK, no agricultural use of imidacloprid is recorded after 2016 (FERA, 2020) while fipronil has no recorded agricultural use after 2015 and was limited before that (FERA, 2020).
Imidacloprid is typically used to treat fleas.
According to Professor Dave Goulson at the University of Sussex, one flea treatment of a medium-sized dog with imidacloprid contains enough pesticide to kill 60 million bees (The Guardian).
Read NRDC’s Nontoxic Ways to Protect Your Pet for safe alternatives for flea and tick products.
In 2022, after being sued by the NRDC, the EPA banned all pet flea collars containing the pesticide tetrachlorvinphos (TCVP), an organophosphate that damages the developing brains and nervous systems of young children, toddlers and fetuses. Unfortunately, in 2023 the EPA reversed its decision.