RMP Study in the News: “Dog and cat flea treatments suspected of polluting San Francisco Bay”
As a result of summary information presented in the latest Pulse of the Bay (see below), the San Jose Mercury News published an article based on a RMP study of pesticide movement through Bay Area wastewater treatment plants. Fipronil is an insecticide that is of moderate concern for the Bay because levels in sediment are in the range of toxicity thresholds for freshwater aquatic life (limited toxicity data are available for estuarine or marine species). The RMP study identified spot-on flea control products as likely to be an important source of this contaminant to the Bay, and one that has received very little study. The Mercury News article featured interviews with Becky Sutton, Jennifer Teerlink, and Tom Mumley, and has made Becky’s cat, Omar Littlecat, a celebrity.
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Local coverage of RMP findings on flea control pesticide fipronil (News)Photograph courtesy CA Dept. of Pesticide Regulation
A report from ABC7's Dan Ashley on May 17, 2017 highlighted key findings from a recent RMP study on the pesticide fipronil. The study identified spot-on flea control products as likely to be an important source of this contaminant to the Bay.
The Dirt on Flea Control: New RMP Study featured in Estuary News (News)Photograph courtesy CA Dept. of Pesticide Regulation
It’s hard to go to the big box pet store and not stumble over the flea control displays. Most pet owners have dabbed or squirted Frontline or Advantage between their cat’s shoulder bones or onto the back of their dog’s neck, but who would guess this same chemical would make its way off our pet’s fur, down the drain, through wastewater treatment, and into the Bay? For more on this new RMP study, read the full story by Ariel Rubissow Okamoto in Estuary News.