Long acting Tick and Flea treatments for our pets are contaminating the environment. - An update
One advantage of being an island is that the UK can more easily spot harmful trends. We recently came across more research from the UK that highlights the hidden harm done by powerful, long acting flea and tick treatments. In this instance, research by the University of Sussex into contamination of wild bird nests revealed widespread contamination from Fipronil (aka Frontline) a common active ingredient in long acting tick and flea medications. This is because the birds used pet hair to line their nests. The research was summarised as follows:
Fur-lined nests potentially expose birds like blue and great tit to harmful chemicals. [resulting in death of chicks or eggs not hatching at all]
All 103 nests tested contained fipronil and most also contained imidacloprid and permethrin.
The most common insecticides in bird nests are used as veterinary drugs.
Higher insecticide levels were linked to increased offspring mortality.
Thorough Environmental Risk Assessment of veterinary treatments is lacking.
This is a link to our earlier blog on the subject
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