Insecticides

Did you know that there are neonicitinoids in the monthly flea and tick treatments your vet prescribes for your cats and dogs, and that these dangerous neurotoxins can be transferred to your hands right the way through the active period of the treatment, despite what it says on the box.

No, neither did we. We knew that neonicitinoids are still being used in flea treatments and we knew that bathing our flea-treated dogs or letting them swim in a stream has resulted in worryingly high levels of neonicitinoids in some rivers but we had trusted what it said on the tin: that once the chemical had dried on our pet’s skin and coat, it was harmless to us, our children and grandchildren. Not so.

The active chemicals in spot-on insecticides are most commonly fipronil and imidacloprid. Fipronil is a neurotoxin prohibited in agricultural food production because of its potential effects on our health: it can cause convulsions and digestive disorders. Imidacloprid is a banned neonicitinoid known for its toxic effects on pollinators and in particular on honey bees. 

Researchers are still finding both of these chemicals in our rivers at levels that could harm aquatic life. But they are also being found on our skin, on our hands after we have hugged, groomed, patted, otherwise handled, and shared our beds with our flea-treated dogs and cats.

Our vets and the manufacturers of these neurotoxic insecticides tell us that they are safe once they are dry but this latest research shows that they can be transferred to us throughout the whole of the 4-6 week period that they are active. Apparently, a significant amount of both of these neurotoxins found in rivers has been washed off our hands. This is terrifying.

There are an approximate 25 million cats and dogs in UK homes and it has been estimated that anywhere between quarter and a third of them are signed up for regular flea treatment. Each dose is tiny but multiply anything by tens of millions and we end up with bucketsful of neurotoxins running around in our homes.

There are questions to be answered: firstly, do our pets really need year-round monthly flea treatment and secondly, who has convinced us that they do and then of course, who is profiting from it? Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, why is it proving so hard to rid our homes and our environment of these dangerous poisons?

Stay safe.