Hi and welcome to another episode of "Day in the Life of Dovid Davis, pest specialist. Today, we're going to be putting Dovid on the spot, with some difficult questions. Dovid is a licensed and very competent >Baltimore pest control specialist, who uses all the chemicals that are in the arsenal of pest control technicians. We're going to be asking Dovid to respond to the fact that some of the chemicals in flea and tick spray are known to be carcinogenic. Boruch: Dovid, I did some research and there's a group called NRDC, the National Resource Defense Council. This group has set up a web page which provides information about all the sprays and chemicals used to treat fleas and tics. .I looked at what they had to say about the three chemicals you recommend. The one you recommend most highly is "Front Line." And here's what they say. "It is used sparingly, and avoided if there is a pregnant woman in the house and avoid using around children, because the main product, Fipronil, is considered a possible carcinogen. What's your response to this? Dovid: Fipronil is a powerful chemical. It is a major ingredient of Combat roach spray, Max Force, and it is also found in pesticides. Because you find it in %LINK2% that I use for roaches and termites, you have to have to use the same precautions that you would in general.But Front Line is something you are putting on the pet itself. Boruch: But let's say you have a family with a pregnant woman and a young child, and the cat's going to be jumping on the woman's lap, would you tell that family not to use Fipronil, (Front Line)? Dovid: No, no. In the first place, it's not my responsibility. Fipronil sprays are purchased from the vet. That's something that a veterinarian would give to a family after they took their dog to be flea dipped. So that a family getting a product with fipronil will be getting a disclaimer saying how the product should be used, and they won't think it's like Brill cream that you can just spread around the pet. Boruch: So that's really the responsibility of the vet and not the >pest control specialist. But what about >Revolution flea and tick collars for cats, this website says that the risk is so great that you should avoid them all together. Dovid: Most people oppose the use of flea collars because the pesticide impregnated surface continually rubs against the pet's neck. Boruch: According to the NRDC, the collars are impregnated with propoxr, a probable carcinogen! Are you familiar with it at all? Dovid: Probably. Yes, yes. But once again, these are regular insecticides, but the amount they are using on pets is a minute amount. So when you were talking about fipronil, I use fipronil for >roaches and termites in a one gallon container. When you buy Front Line, you are literally buying five or six drops. That's all you're getting, not ounces but drops. And it will say put two drops on the hind legs and two drops behind the shoulder blades. And that's it, you're not getting quantity. So it would be very hard to mess it up, 'cause you really not getting that much. Boruch: What about Advantage? {The NRDC describes it as similar to Front Line. They recommend, once again, to use it sparingly and not at all around pregnant women or children.|Are you familiar with Advantage. They say it is similar to Front Line that you should use it sparingly and avoid using it around pregnant women or around young children. [/sin] Dovid: [spion]Again, this is a treatment that is applied to the animal and not to the house. The medicine can only be purchased from a vet, and the amounts to be applied are a matter of droplets. |This is something you are putting on the animal. These are chemicals that you are getting from the vet. You are only going to be getting droplets of it not quantity.} If you were going to be dealing with large quantities it might potentially be hazardous. But the amount that you are getting, the drops, are not going to harm anything. So a pregnant woman could apply it to a dog, because the disclaimer will instruct her to use gloves when she is applying it. So she is only going to be breaking open a little tube and squeezing a drop or two here and a drop or two here. Boruch: So let me paraphrase what you just said. The quantity of pesticide used in flea treatment is minute and the sale and application of these minute amounts is controlled by the veterinarian. Dovid: That's not anything that the exterminator is going to be dealing with. Boruch: Okay. This website also recommends using safer alternatives. These include things that you also recommend, washing the bedding, vacuuming the house, combing daily with a fine tooth flea comb. And then they recommend natural repellant sprays, made of lemon grass cedar wood, and for severe problems they recommend using the lower risk chemicals such as pyropoxiphen, nitropyron and spinosad. Dovid: You can do all those things that are natural. But when all else fails call an exterminator. Well, that's it for another episode of "Day in the Life of Dovid Davis Pest Specialist," and folks, have a pest free day.
Article Source: http://www.articlecontentprovider.com/articlesubmit
In this episode of "Day in the Life of Dovid Davis Pest Specialist," the moderator willl be asking Dovid some tough questions about flea pesticides that contain possible carcinogens.
This research has been supported by Entymologist Dovis Davis, Director of A #1 Pest Control Exterminator Bed Bugs, Roach,Animal Flea and Termite Control
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 5 4 out of 5 3 out of 5 2 out of 5 1 out of 5
