Dangerous Pet Products

Dog toys. How many do you have in your home? I have tons of them scattered all over the house. When I go shopping I’m always on the look out for cool toys. I have most of the toy collection featured at the Canine Kingdom. Well, someone has to test them and my dogs are willing participants. Last night my local news station featured a segment about a non-profit web site that discloses the results of pet product testing for dangerous chemicals like lead, arsenic and chlorine.

As Canine Kingdom CEO Mary Beth Close has said over and over – the pet industry is huge and unsupervised. I should know better but I have brought home dubious dog toys. I’m sure most of us are guilty of buying cheap imported dog toys – the ones in the supermarkets, big box pet stores and discount and dollar stores.

Time to rethink my buying habits. I may have been putting my dogs’ health in jeopardy. Nice to know there are groups around that monitor products, conduct lab tests and publish their findings. And nice to know that the Canine Kingdom researches, evaluates, and chooses its product selection based on safety, effectiveness, and quality. For example, you will not find rawhide bones or chips, Greenies, small squeaky toys, tennis balls, or electronic shock equipment in the Canine Kingdom store, as these products have proven to be unsafe, less effective or harmful to dogs. And Kudos to the HealthyStuff.org web site for listing dangerous pet products.

HealthyStuff.org tested over 400 pet products, including beds, chew toys, stuffed toys, collars, leashes, and tennis balls. Since there are no government standards for hazardous chemicals in pet products, it is not surprising that there were alarming levels of toxic chemicals found – even in well know brand names like Coleman. HealthyStuff.org results are especially of concern to pets and children. Pets and children are frequently close to floor and commonly put products into their mouths. Exposures are greater, resulting in greater health concerns.

The U.S. government doesn't require full testing of chemicals before they are added to most consumer products. And once they are on the market, the government almost never restricts their use, even in the face of new scientific evidence suggesting a health threat. Because children, adults and pets can be exposed to chemicals from many sources, and because the effects of some chemicals are cumulative, it is important to look at the whole picture concerning chemicals and health. The law that's supposed to do this, the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, is outdated, according to the non-partisan U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). In 2005, the GAO found:

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has limited data on existing chemicals including toxicity and exposure information;
• EPA lacks data to ensure that potential health and environmental risks of new chemicals are identified;
• Chemical companies are not required to develop and submit toxicity information to EPA unless EPA issues a rule;
• EPA has used its authority to require testing for fewer than 200 of the 62,000 chemicals in commerce since 1979;
• For "new" chemicals, EPA estimates that only about 15 percent include health or safety test data; and
• For existing chemicals, only 5 chemical groups out of 62,000 have been restricted by EPA in 29 years.

It’s up to you. Keep your family safe. Only buy from reputable, reliable sources and manufacturers. For more information and products you can trust, visit http://www.caninekingdom.com