EPA Publishes Comprehensive List of Spot-On Treatments Being Evaluated
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Washington), shortly after announcing it would evaluate safety issues related to spot-on flea and tick control products, clarified that it is evaluating all such products registered with the agency and not just selected items previously cited on its Web site.
“Since the chart previously located on [the Web site] reflected only a portion of the numerous pet spot-on products available, [the] EPA felt that pet owners and consumers might be led to believe that only those products listed were the focus of concern. In fact, EPA is intensifying its evaluation of all spot-on products and is providing a more comprehensive list of these products,” according to the EPA’s Web site.
The full product list is available at www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/prodname-reg.pdf.
The EPA stated that it is not initiating a product recall or advising pet owners to stop using spot-on products. Instead, it is asking people to exercise caution and make informed decisions.
“While many people use the products with no harmful effects to their pets, EPA recommends that pet owners take precautions when using these products,” according to the EPA site.
The EPA launched its study after noticing an increase in the number of reported adverse reactions in pets treated with spot-on products.
Adverse reactions reported range from mild effects such as skin irritation to more serious effects such as seizures and, in some cases, death. [July 2009 PET AGE]
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