Chemicals found in pets

A recent study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found higher concentration levels of many synthetic industrial chemicals in dogs and cats than in humans. Serving as involuntary sentinels, the study helps support scientist's link between synthetic-chemical exposure and the growing number of health problems across the country.

The EWG examined blood and urine samples from 20 dogs and 37 cats from a Virginia veterinary clinic to identify pets' exposure rates to chemicals in both indoor and outdoor environments. Dogs and cats were contaminated with 48 of 70 industrial chemicals tested, including 43 chemicals at levels higher than those typically found in humans.

Pets, similar to infants and toddlers, have limited diets, play and sleep close to the ground and frequently lick their paws, increasing their exposure to chemicals. But because pets age seven or more times faster than humans, their health problems develop much quicker, according to EWG.

Source: www.ewg.org/reports/pets; Polluted Pets.