Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (26 page)

In evaluating the special impact of chemical pollution on our pets, it’s essential to realize that dogs and cats live in close contact with the ground. They sit, play, and sleep on it. Even indoors, pets are exposed to plenty of dust. A six-room urban house may accumulate as much as 40 pounds of dust in a year. And when our pets lick all this dust off their fur, they actually consume it. That used to be fairly safe—“you’ll eat a peck of dirt before you die,” moms used to say. But dirt is a lot “dirtier” nowadays. We
need to take special precautions to protect children and pets from possible harm.

A scientific team of “dust busters” found that 25 out of 29 typical homes they studied in Seattle had rugs with excessive levels of toxins and mutagens. They also found that toddlers ingest more than twice as much dust as adults. And contaminated dust is probably more risky for pets than it is for children. Pets wear no protective clothes or shoes and, like a shag rug, their fur attracts dirt (till they lick it off).

L
EAD

Because they settle to the ground, heavy metals are a particular hazard in dust. Lead is among the most widespread of these and enters the environment primarily from flaking layers of lead-based paint and from power plants. Because lead was used as a pigment and drying agent in “alkyd” oil-based paint, about two-thirds of the homes built before 1960 contain heavily leaded paint (as well as some homes, though fewer, built after 1960). Lead paint may be on any interior or exterior surface, but particularly on woodwork, doors, and windows. Cats, especially, will start licking walls as a symptom of digestive trouble and swallow paint flakes in this way.

In 1978, the Consumer Product Safety Commission lowered the legal maximum lead content in most kinds of paints to 0.06 percent (considered a trace amount). You can have your home tested for this common contaminant, and there are several do-it-yourself kits available at paint stores and home centers (note they are not sensitive enough to pick up low levels, which can still affect pregnant women).

Other sources of lead are auto exhaust, lead water pipes, batteries, colored newsprint, and smelters. At typical levels, lead primarily affects the blood and nervous systems. Symptoms can be vague, often including listlessness, loss of appetite, irritability, stupor, uncoordination, vomiting, constipation, and abdominal pain. Not surprisingly, lead poisoning has caused seizures in small, urban dogs. Other dangerous metals polluting the environment include cadmium, mercury, and arsenic.

A
SBESTOS

Another common ingredient in urban dust, asbestos produces particles that have been found in the lungs of virtually every city dweller who had an autopsy. In homes it comes from hot-water pipe coverings, furnace insulation materials, asbestos roof shingles, millboard, textured paints, vinyl floor tiles and tile adhesive, ceiling texturing, and other ceiling coating materials.

The greatest danger is inhaling the small microscopic fibers that settle in the lungs and never come out. The body can’t get rid of these fibers, and the subsequent inflammation causes serious lung disease. Some contaminated lungs develop cancer, as well.

G
ENERAL
P
RECAUTIONS

So what’s a caring person to do? Here are some simple suggestions supported by the Seattle study.

• Use entrance mats and remove or clean shoes at the front door.
  
• Houseclean thoroughly and often.
  
• Keep the entryway swept or hosed off to minimize sources of outdoor dirt. If possible, pave dirt or gravel driveways or entryways.
  
• Avoid shags and deep-pile carpets when you decorate. Consider a natural wood or tile floor with washable rugs instead.
  
• Brush and bathe your pet regularly.
  
• Follow these suggestions when remodeling or repainting.
  
• Be especially careful about sanding or cutting into paint layers of homes built before 1978, because most of them contain lead paints.
  
• Wear a dust mask while working on painted areas and keep pets and children away.
  
• Clean up thoroughly after each workday.
  
• If intact, old lead paint layers can be painted over or covered with drywall. Consider replacing old wood doors and windows, because simply operating them can create lead dust.
  
• Wipe the work area frequently with a solution of trisodium phosphate (sold at hardware stores). Be sure to wear gloves.
  

INDOOR AIR POLLUTION

Besides toxic dust, air can also carry unhealthy gases and vapors, such as formaldehyde, ozone, chloroform, and radon. These waft into the atmosphere from household products, furniture, and many other common sources. A New Jersey study testing 20 common air pollutants showed that indoor levels were actually much worse than outdoor levels, in some cases 100 times greater.

F
ORMALDEHYDE

Formaldehyde is a very common contaminant because it is used in so many products and is also a by-product of combustion. The usual sources are general household products, unvented fuel burning appliances such as gas stoves or kerosene gas heaters, some carpets, pressed wood products, particleboard used as subflooring, shelving, cabinetry, and furniture, and also hardwood plywood paneling. Medium density fiberboard (MDF) releases the most formaldehyde of any of the wood products and is commonly used for drawer fronts, cabinet doors, furniture tops, and closet shelving. Softwood plywood and flake or oriented strandboard—typical products used for external construction—release much lower amounts of formaldehyde than those we have already mentioned.

Reactions to indoor air pollution may appear as chronic headaches, fatigue, itchy or watering eyes, nasal or throat infections, or dryness, depression, dizziness, nausea, colds, asthma, bronchitis, and allergies. If any of these show up in your pets or family members who are usually indoors, note whether the symptoms have appeared after moving,
remodeling, or purchasing new furniture or carpets. Are the symptoms worse when the house is tightly sealed? If so, it makes sense to set about reducing the indoor pollution in your home. In any case, it’s good preventive medicine for the whole family and your pets to take these steps.

Ventilate your home. If you’re in an area of low air pollution, just open your windows as often as possible to ventilate. If outdoor air is smoggy or temperatures are too extreme, on the other hand, try using an electronic fiber or charcoal air filter, or HEPA filter. A great solution is to install a whole house fan or heat recovery ventilator (which brings in outside air but without losing the heat in the house).

Further, scientists have learned that certain houseplants reduce pollutants, especially philodendrons (formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide), spider plants (carbon monoxide), aloe veras (formaldehyde), and gerbera daisies and chrysanthemums (benzene).

R
ADON

Radon is an odorless, colorless, tasteless radioactive gas that occurs naturally and is found in the soil and well water in low levels everywhere. It is produced naturally by the breakdown of uranium in the soil and gradually percolates up into the atmosphere. It can be trapped in buildings with confined spaces and build up to higher levels. That it is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States makes this common contaminant an important issue. It gets into homes by entering through small cracks in the flooring or around the holes for pipes and wiring in the walls. Houses with basements or slab-on-grade can be protected by some mechanism of suctioning air from the soil with piping (and usually a fan) to release it into outside air. Crawlspace houses use crawlspace ventilation (passive, or active with a fan) and perhaps a heavy plastic sheet over the earth with a vent pipe under the sheet to draw radon outside.

Visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site at www.epa.gov to find out if you live in a radon “hot spot.” Activated charcoal screening tests, available through the mail, can help you find out if you should take further action. For more information or to order a test kit, call the National Safety Council at (800) 557-2366 or the National Radon Hotline at (800) 767-7236. For an updated list of approved testing companies in your state, either call one of the above 800 numbers or visit the EPA’s Web site.

OUTDOOR POLLUTION

In the great outdoors, pollution is something to seriously consider. We are used to many products that contain chemicals, and we forget that they give off sometimes harmful substances.

P
RESSURE
-T
REATED
W
OOD

Because wood sunk in the ground or exposed to water outside can quickly rot or be
eaten by bugs, it is treated with a poison that does not allow any of these things to attack it. The usual substance is a combination of copper and arsenic. The wood is soaked in a liquid preservative under high pressure so that it penetrates the wood. This process allows the wood to survive 10 or 20 times longer than untreated wood, so it has a definite advantage. The drawback is that the chemicals remain on the surface as well as inside the wood and can run off with water and contaminate the soil around the post or structure built with it.

One of my clients traced behavioral and health problems of her cats to a new enclosure built with such wood. After she covered the wood with a nontoxic sealer to prevent the fumes from reaching the animals, the cats returned to normal.

It helps, therefore, to seal pressure-treated wood posts used to build a cattery or dog pen. Realize, however, that if your animal chews on this wood, it is poisonous. Be watchful.

H
OUSE
AND
G
ARDEN
P
ESTICIDES

Besides the insecticides used in flea and tick products, pets may also be exposed to high levels of other household pesticides. The National Academy of Sciences reports that homeowners use four to eight times as many chemical pesticides per acre as farmers do. Many home and garden insecticides are the same as those used on pets. Additional risks come from herbicides, fungicides, and rodent poisons. Because of their contact with the ground, pets are more likely to pick up residues. In 1991, the National Cancer Institute found that dogs who lived where the homeowner used 2,4-D, a common broadleaf weed killer, had twice the rate of lymphoma (a cancer of the lymph glands) as dogs who lived where it was not used.

Even if you don’t use pesticides, they may drift onto your property from neighbors’ yards or from heavily sprayed areas such as nearby parks, campuses, power line corridors, and orchards. Ask people to call you when they plan to spray so you can close your windows, since pesticides have a longer lifespan indoors.

T
ERMITE
C
ONTROL

Poisonous residues may persist in your house from previous occupants. The termite insecticide chlordane, for instance, has been detected in the air of some homes 14 years after application. It’s also been found in soil after 30 years.

A
UTOMOTIVE
P
RODUCTS

Though we must consider the possible danger to animals from what is stored in the garage, it is easy to overlook what might drip or leak from automobiles. One is antifreeze fluid. Sometimes when cars overheat, some antifreeze runs out on the ground. Apparently it tastes good (I have never tried it), and animals will lick it up, causing serious poisoning that often ends in death. Less
toxic but still harmful are transmission fluids, used oils, even batteries left out on the ground. The battery posts are lead and the insides contain acid.

Store all of these things inside the garage in sealed containers, within locked cabinets at least 4 feet off the ground. It’s not a bad idea to install child-proof safety latches on the cabinet doors, either.

If you spill any of these hazardous materials, don’t wash it away. Sprinkle with sawdust, vermiculite, or cat litter to absorb it, then sweep it up and put it in a plastic bag to dispose of as hazardous waste.

C
ONSIDER
S
AFER
A
LTERNATIVES

There are several excellent books that detail safer alternatives to dangerous pesticides and other household products (see drpitcairn.com). If you must use a pesticide, seek a knowledgeable nursery salesperson to help you choose the least-toxic products. Some products seem to be relatively harmless to animals if used as recommended—though often what we think of as “safe” is simply lack of sufficient experience. There are also nontoxic and organic products available. Follow label directions carefully, which often means keeping pets off areas that have been recently treated. Should you suspect a possible poisoning, call the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Pesticide Telecommunications Network, a toll-free service available 24 hours a day, at (800) 858-7378.

WHAT TO DO

Remove pollutants wherever possible. Inventory all the household products tucked away in your kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and garage that contain poisonous and sensitizing chemicals. Clear out any products that are more than a few years old and that you no longer use (they may contain chemicals that have since been banned) and those with rusting or leaking containers. Safer substitutes may be available.

For disposal, call your local trash collection service to ask about special household hazardous waste collections. Where we live, there are certain days you can take these things to the landfill and we make an appointment to do so. If this kind of service is not available, tighten any loose containers, wrap them in several layers of newspaper, seal them in a heavy plastic bag, and put them in the trash. Do not pour such substances down the drain or on the soil.