Posted on July 13, 2009 by: WayCoolDogs

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Pyrethroid-based flea and tick treatments, even those which are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are gathering government interest due to a high increase in incidents regarding “pyrethroid-based spot-on pesticide products” for pets. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, approximately 1,600 deaths of pets are due to these treatments because of the use of pyrethroids over the past five years.

These products also account for over 50% of the more serious pesticide pet reactions reported by the EPA over that same duration, causing medical reactions such as brain damage, heart attacks, and violet seizures. Meanwhile, non-pyrethroid treatments using spot-on methods accounted for only  approximately 6% of all the major pet incidents.

The use of pyrethrins and pyrethroids on pets disrupt the nerve function of insects which will cause complete paralysis and death in critters like fleas and ticks, which has made it a perfect tool to use for pet usage. Unfortunately, pyrethroids are chemicals which are manufactured in a manner similar to the natural pyrethrin chemical, but are much more toxic to both insects and mammals plus they last longer in the environment.

Considered a natural extract of the Australian and African chrysanthemum flower, six individual chemicals can be developed from pyrethrin to form many  pyrethrin products:

• Pyrethrin I
• Pyrethrin II
• Cinevin I
• Cinevin II
• Jasmolin I
• Jasmolin II

Pyrethrins have been used with government approval for dog and cat products–shampoos, dips, sprays, sprays, household insecticides, and spot-on flea and tick products. Altogether, both of the insecticides are involved in the production of over 3,500 products for pets, mosquito control, and agriculture that are used today.

The manufacturers of pyrethroid-based spot-on pesticide products for pets state their products are pretty much safe and effective, as long as they are used properly. But they also state if the dog or cat has a preexisting condition or a high sensitivity to the treatment, the animal may die or become very ill.

With the high usage of pyrethrins and pyrethroids over the past ten years or so, the use of organophosphate pesticides have seriously decreased which are considered more toxic to birds and animals. But the increased usage of pyrethrins and pyrethroids have brought about their own issues, such as the increase of deaths in pets and exposing aquatic life to urban runoff with dangerous levels of the products in both water and sediment.

This increase has caused the EPA to consider the usage of the pyrethroid pesticides actually share a common mechanism of toxicity which would need to result in a cumulative risk assessment.  On June 16 to 18, 2009, the FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) met “in order to consider and review an evaluation of the common mechanism of action of pyrethroid pesticides.”

RESOURCES:

EPA

Center for Public Integrity

Humane Society

What is Pyrethin?

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