High chemical levels found in dogs and cats ... USA TODAY April 16, 2008

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High chemical levels found in dogs

and cats Find

this article at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-04-16-pets-chemicalsN.htm

By

Weise, USA TODAY April 16, 2008 An environmental group has tested dogs and cats for

chemical exposure and found some levels much higher than in humans.The analysis, being

released today by the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Working Group

today, found levels of brominated flame retardants (used in furniture,

fabrics and electronics) in cats 23 times higher than in humans, and mercury

levels (likely from fish in pet foods) five times higher. In dogs, levels of

perfluorinated chemicals (from stain- and grease-proof coatings) were 2.4

times higher than in people. Overall, 35 chemicals in dogs and 46 in cats

were found. The research used

blood and urine samples from 35 dogs and 37 cats collected at

Hanover Animal Hospital in

Mechanicsville , Va. ,

in December and January. Results represent average levels. Samples had to be

pooled because "lab methods require a larger sample than any single

animal could provide," says EWG's Jane Houlihan. The testing

"raises tantalizing questions," says Larry Glickman, a professor of

environmental health at Purdue

University 's School of Veterinary Medicine in

West Lafayette , Ind. "These things are just too controversial to ignore." Glickman says that

"we'll need to figure out how widespread this contamination is, where's

it coming from and whether it's associated with adverse health events." "Because cats are

finicky, owners find a food they like and stick to it," which could

explain the high levels of mercury in cats, says n Nestle, a professor

of nutrition at New York University who's

researching a book on pet food. The same could apply to dogs, especially

because they're often fed organ meat. "If they're eating only one thing,

and there are toxins in it, then it would be concentrated." Pets' high levels of

exposure come about because they spend their days in direct contact with

floors and the ground, where dust, dirt, chemicals and pesticides

concentrate. They also chew on toys, "so they have exposures to

plastics," Houlihan says. The findings give

cause for concern, Houlihan says, because "there's a 20-year body of

scientific literature showing that pets can be sentinels for human

problems."

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