By Nancy Chuda, co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World, and Megan Boyle, Editorial Director, Healthy Child Healthy World
Reproduced with the permission of the Environmental Working Group
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering a ban on a harmful chemical that kills fleas and ticks on household pets.
The chemical in question, tetrachlorvinphos, or TCVP, is the active ingredient in Hartz brand flea and tick products, including Hartz' Longlife 90 Day Collar, and in some livestock treatments.
In preparation for taking regulatory action, a decision prompted by a petition filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council in 2009, the EPA released a draft human health risk assessment and other documents last month. You can find them here.
In our view, EPA's assessment is commendable - but long overdue. Scientists, regulators and manufacturers have known for years that insecticidal treatments are dangerous to pets and humans alike. The chemicals block nerve signals in pets and humans just as they do in pests, potentially harming everyone in the process.
These chemicals have been known to kill pets, particularly cats. Children are also vulnerable, because their neurological systems are still developing and because they're most likely to ingest pet pesticides by accident. It's not uncommon for a child to touch a pet, then put her hands in her mouth, consuming traces of pesticide.
A landmark NRDC study published in 2009 found that some pest treatments leave residues on animal fur that are up to 1,000 times the EPA's acceptable levels. These treatments put children at risk of cancer and neurological damage. Click here to learn more about how household pesticides can harm children's health.
Between 2000 and 2006, the EPA banned six other types of organophosphates, but TCVP, a member of that highly problematic chemical family, has remained on the market. Carbamates, another family of harmful insecticidal chemicals, are still used in common flea and tick treatments.
The EPA moves slowly. Even if the agency decides to ban TCVP, more months or years may pass before products containing the chemical disappear from store shelves.
In the meantime, here's what you can do today to keep your pets and family safe:
Throw away products that contain dangerous chemicals
Read the ingredient labels of flea and tick treatments you've bought and throw out those that contain TCVP, carbaryl and propoxur. Not sure what chemicals are in your product? Check the NRDC's Green Paws Product Guide.
Get rid of pests without resorting to chemicals. Brush, comb and bathe your pets frequently. Avoid tall brush and other areas where fleas and ticks live. Vacuum your home often to catch pests and eggs, and throw away vacuum bags immediately.
Follow safety instructions
If you want to apply a topical treatment to pet fur, products with S-methoprene or pyriproxyfen are safer. Choose the proper concentration for your pet's weight, and apply dog treatments only to dogs, cat treatments only to cats.
Read directions and warnings, wear gloves and wash your hands after applying. Children and pregnant women should not apply treatments. Here are more tips for how to avoid pesticides while pregnant.
Keep kids away from treated pets
Separate kids from pets for 24 hours after applying a flea or tick treatment. Steer your pets away from places where your children play and sleep, including couches, play area carpets and bedspreads.
Monitor your pets and family
Contact your local poison control center (800-222-1222) and National Pesticide Information Center (800-858-7378) if you believe your pet or a family member has been harmed by a flea or tick treatment.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.