MCS

As a dog owner, keeping my dog clean and free of ticks and fleas can sometimes seem like a real chore. Over the years I have tried a few different methods in controlling fleas and ticks. Though I never used a flea collar, I have tried the shampoos and the treatments that you apply down the back of the dog. A few years ago, I stopped using both of these things, particularly after actually reading up on some of the chemicals that these products contain, mainly insecticides. (Though when a bottle of shampoo has to have a disclaimer about being toxic to aquatic life, I should have taken that as a bad sign.) Beyond potential issues with your pet's health, they can also have an adverse effect on some people.

The active ingredient in most modern tick and flea shampoos is commonly a pyrethroid, a class of organic compounds related to natural pyrethrins found in some flowers. Most household insecticides stem from this class of chemicals. The problem with many of these is that, quiet bluntly, they are toxic. Most have labels that state as much, particularly with regard to animals and aquatic life. Pyrethroids are considered safe for vertebrates since they have the enzymes and biology in place to break down these chemicals in fairly short order.

Except for cats... Ostensibly, dogs and humans can break down these insecticides in the liver in kidneys without long term effects. Because cats cannot breakdown a common pyrethroid used in flea and tick treatments, phenothrin was pulled by most manufacturers in 2006. Adverse reactions ranging from tremors and hair loss to salivation and death were reported when used with cats.

Cats notwithstanding, most pets and humans are fairly safe when using products that contain pyrethrins. Be even if these products are relatively safe for use around humans and dogs, there are still other compounds found in these can produce adverse reactions in people and pets alike.

D-Limonene (smells like oranges and sound innocuous enough, right?) is assumed to be the culprit in a case where a Pomeranian in Washington recently suffered a severe allergic reaction. The family pet developed edema throughout her body but ultimately recovered. Limonene is also used as a solvent in cleaners, air fresheners, and even glues. While D-Limonene is used commonly used in cosmetics and as an insecticide, the FDA recommends against using this hydrocarbon on cats or dogs, and some with sensitivities may develop contact dermatitis or a general sensitivity to the compound.

In another instance where chemicals in flea and tick repellents more directly impacted a person, a pet shampoo distributed by Sogeval Laboratories, Inc., with an ingredient, phytosphingosine, was associated with the death of one woman who was bathing her dog with the product. An acute asthma attack was the cause of death, and just a few days later, another asthmatic family member suffered a mild asthma attack while bathing the pet with the same product. The belief is that the particular substances used in that formulation of pet shampoo triggered the two asthma attacks in the individuals involved.

This is not to say that all pet shampoos are going to cause problem for you or your pets, but what it does highlight is two things. First, read labels. If there's something you're unfamiliar with, look for a known alternative. When you do come across an unknown compound, check online for the MSDS sheet or visit the manufacturer's website to get as much information as you can. You can then search for these compounds to find out more about them and potential hazards. This may seem like a lot, but it literally takes 10-20 minutes of searching online. Second, some ingredients in flea and tick treatments, as well as cosmetics, cleaners, and other household products, can react differently with different people (particularly those who have an existing allergic or asthmatic condition and those who have shown a sensitivity to chemicals that don't affect most others).

As a side note, for fleas and ticks, I use the Ecology Works pet shampoo. Personally, I like the smell, it lathers well, and I've yet to find a flea or tick on my dog (despite my roommates dog having fleas a couple times since we have lived together.

Author: Kevin G.

For those who were or are thinking about adding Ogallala custom pillows or comforters to your current bedding set, now is the time to act. In less than a week prices are going up. Due to and increase in the price of raw goods, prices on Ogallala's hypoallergenic pillows and comforters is going up by an average of 20%. Shop now to take advantage of pricing before the increase!

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With Technical Bulletin 117 in 1975, California became the first state to pass legislation that required flame retardants to be a part of the sofas. From there, the law spread to encompass nearly all home furnishings that included foam, like mattresses, love seats, chair, and even tents. The provision outlines that home furnishing and items such as these must be able to withstand an open flame for 12 seconds. As the years have passed and research has shed light on the chemical flame retardants used and their impact on health, what once seemed like a universal positive now casts a different shadow.

Multiple times bills have been drafted in the California legislature - each seeking to repeal the 1975 provision. Each time the bill has failed, arguably due to heavy lobbying efforts by the chemical industry. But why has California changed course? Why is there now a push to remove the flame retardants that were once thought to protect against house fires? To answer these questions, we need to look back at the original law, why it came about and what research since that time has shown us.

Consumer safety is at the heart of fire retardant use mandate. Testimony of accounts where home furnishings were accidentally set ablaze was one original driving factor. Yet contrary to this push, the law requires that for most products, only the foam must be fire retardant. So for many home furnishings, the exterior fabric, the logical point where a fire could possibly start often requires no special coatings or treatments, and items like mattresses, require a prescription from a doctor before a mattress without flame retardants can be sold or constructed. And to play devil’s advocate, how many times have you seen a house fire where the mattress or couch was all that remained?

Research into the health effects of the chemical flame retardants used has shown that exposure to many of the chemicals used have serious health consequences, including birth defects and increased rates of cancer. Chlorinated flame retardants are common, and substances that were originally grandfathered in, like many brominated fire retardants, have since been scrapped but testing of replacement chemicals and their long term health effects is slow in coming.

Statistics show that there has been a reduction in the number of fires that have started in homes, but physicians groups and others point to an overall decrease in smoking, the use of fire-safe cigarettes (FSC) and increased use of sprinklers and smoke detectors as the cause - not chemical flame retardants. To this point, one could still argue, as many politicians and lobbyists do, that the research behind the decrease the number of fires isn’t conclusive on this point.

For those who suffer from MCS or sick-building syndrome, the nearly 2 pounds of chemical flame retardants that can be found in modern home furnishings can be a continual source of aggravation and recurring reactions. As the public becomes more aware of what is in the products we have in our home, you see a push by many industries to lower the chemical content - take VOC's in paint as a recent example.

The latest iteration of the bill to provide choice when it comes to home furnishings with flame retardants has the support of doctors, firefighters and consumer safety advocates. Because California represents the fifth largest economy in the world, a change in the California law would likely cause a change in production of home furnishings across the Canada and the US. As of now, there is no choice, but should a repeal or amendment pass, which would you choose?

Author: Kevin Gilmore