Apr 22 2009
EPA Special Alert for Spot-On Pesticides for Pets
Increased Scrutiny of Flea and Tick Control Products for Pets
Due to a recent sharp increase in the number of incidents being reported from the use of spot-on pesticide products for flea and tick control for pets, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is intensifying its evaluation of whether further restrictions on the use of these products are necessary to better protect pets.
Incidents with flea and tick products can involve the use of spot-on treatments, sprays, collars and shampoos. However, the majority of the potential incidents reported to EPA are related to flea and tick treatments with EPA-registered spot-on products. Spot-on products are generally sold in tubes or vials and are applied to one or more localized areas on the body of the pet, such as in between the shoulders or in a stripe along the back.
EPA-registered spot-on, topically applied flea and tick products have an EPA Registration Number on the label (look for EPA Reg. No. XXX-XX).
Report Adverse Effects Your Animals Have From Products Like these
EPA recommends that veterinarians use the National Pesticide Information Center’s Veterinary Pesticide Adverse Effects Reporting portal to report incidents: http://npic.orst.edu/vet (Vets Only Please). Please encourage your vet to report any adverse effects your animal may have had due to pesticide applications.
If you are not a veterinarian, but would like to report an adverse effect of a pesticide to your pet, please call NPIC at 1-800-858-7378 and we will take your report over the phone.
Incident report summary
Adverse reactions reported from the spot-on products range from mild effects such as skin irritation to more serious effects such as seizures and in some cases of death. Over 44,000 potential incidents associated with registered spot-on products were reported to EPA in 2008. Pesticide registrants are required by law to submit information to EPA on adverse effects resulting from the use of any registered pesticide. The seven products in the table below represent about 80% of that total.
List of Registered Products
EPA has provided a listing of EPA-registered spot-on flea and tick products (16 pp, 186 K, PDF). Since the chart previously located on this page reflected only a portion of the numerous pet spot-on products available, 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.
EPA is not initiating a product recall of these products nor is the Agency suggesting that the products not be used. EPA recognizes the importance of the products in effective flea and tick control. EPA’s objective at this stage is simply to advise consumers and pet owners to exercise caution when using the products and to monitor pet behavior following their use, as some animals have experienced adverse reactions following treatment.
Please note the following:
- This information is subject to revision as new information becomes available;
- This information does not account for the market share of these products;
- This information does not reflect the severity of incidents;
- This information does not reflect potential misuse of the products; and
- If incidents are not reported by pet owners or registrants, this may affect the potential accuracy of this list.
In addition, a cause and effect relationship between these products and any individual adverse reaction or incident has not been confirmed. EPA is carefully evaluating all available data, including incident data, to help identify and if necessary, take prompt regulatory action to address risks. By collecting, compiling, and reviewing the incident data, EPA is able to make better decisions to reduce risks and target other regulatory activities.
For some of these products, the same product is distributed by another company under an agreement with the primary registrant. EPA requires that the label for the distributor product be identical to that of the primary product (in terms of uses of the product, precautions, etc.). Distributor products can be identified by having a three-part EPA registration number instead of a two-part number.
Regulatory agencies are taking action
EPA is evaluating all available data and information, including:
- reports of adverse reactions,
- product market share,
- clarity of product use directions and label warnings,
- product ingredients, and
- pre-market safety data submitted to the Agency in support of registration of these products
This assessment may result in EPA action to require changes in the registration status of certain spot-on products. EPA will be working collaboratively with Health Canada to address this issue, as Canadian regulatory officials have identified similar concerns about the use of spot-on flea and tick products. EPA intends to update this page periodically to provide the public with the most current information on this issue.
Original Press Release: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/flea-tick-control.html
