WASHINGTON, Apr 18, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A U.S. environmental group said
high levels of industrial chemicals have been found in household pets.
Analysis of blood and urine from 20 dogs and 37 cats conducted by the
Environmental Working Group found that the animals were contaminated with 48 of
70 industrial chemicals tested, including 43 chemicals at levels higher than
those typically found in people.
EWG said the findings serve as an early warning of widespread chemical
contamination in humans.
"Just as children ingest pollutants in tap water, play on lawns with pesticide
residues, or breathe in an array of indoor air contaminants, so do their pets,"
EWG said Thursday in a release. "But with their compressed lifespans, developing
and aging seven or more times faster than children, pets also develop health
problems from exposures much more rapidly."
The report said dogs showed high levels of perfluorochemicals in the Teflon
family, plastics chemicals called phthalates, and fire retardants called PBDEs.
Cats showed high levels of PBDEs and methylmercury.
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