Flee Flea

I've detailed in this space before several of my phobias. One of the major ones is the fear of poison. While the average American uses a cocktail of poisonous substances to do everything from clean mold off the shower stall to the use of pesticides in the yard to kill weeds, I tend to look for nontoxic methods. Initially, this had nothing to do with environmental awareness; it had everything to do with my fear that I would somehow poison myself!

One of the few routine poisons, that sometimes I actually choose to administer, is those between-the-shoulder flea killing preparations for my dogs. My local vet (wherever I've lived) has always told me that this stuff is relatively safe for both dogs and humans, provided the human -- me -- doesn't pour it directly on my Rice Krispies.

Regardless of this advice, I have to go through my own histrionics in order to complete this simple task. First, I place a pair of surgical gloves on my hands followed by a thicker pair of rubber gloves. Once the deed is finished, I have to figure out how to take the gloves off without allowing ANY of the outside surface to come in contact with my skin. If that wasn't enough, I must wash my hands several times, both with Lava soap and an antibacterial soap. Still, after following this step-by-step routine I will be convinced for several hours that I've slipped up and the poison will have somehow contacted my skin (which means I'm doomed).

Up until this morning, I considered my fear of these flea preparations to be somewhat irrational. However, according to The Daily Green, I've found that maybe said fears aren't irrational at all!!

Killing Fleas and Ticks May Be Harming Your Pet
By Dan Shapley

Flea and tick treatments for pets fall into that murky area in a lot of consumers' minds: We know the chemicals are designed to ward off or kill bugs ... but somehow we don't associate the products with the term "pesticides."

But the Environmental Protection Agency has received an increasing number of reports of pets having adverse reactions to "spot-on pesticide products" -- those between-the-shoulder liquid treatments designed to infuse the pet's skin with pest-fighting toxicity. Now the agency is taking a harder look at the potential toxicity of these products. "Adverse reactions reported range from mild effects such as skin irritation to more serious effects such as seizures and, in some cases, the death of pets," the organization reports.

Previously, the Natural Resources Defense Council reported that people can be exposed to flea and tick pesticides at 1,000 times the recommended safe dosage just from petting a dog or cat that has been treated. (emphasis added)

And that's just from petting!! Imagine how much more toxic it would be if a person inadvertently got some on them by administering the goo in the first place!

I'd comment further, but I've got to go wash my hands again.