How toxic is FrontLine? (was flea & tick...)

[Guest guest]

, Sara Schneider

<dancing_christian_mocha_girl wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

>advantage and frontline are not poisons they are reputable Rx

>preventions that are safe for most animals most times.

 

 

 

 

 

Reputable??...do you really believe this?

 

 

 

The information below is pasted from this site:

 

http://www.sailhome.org/Concerns/BodyBurden/Sources3/Fipronil.html

 

 

 

FrontLine is manufactured by a company called Merial, which is a joint

venture between Merck and Aventis.

 

FrontLine contains 9.8% fipronil by weight.

 

 

In 1996 when fipronil was introduced for commercial use in the U.S.,

it was praised as a safer insecticide because it appeared to target

invertebrates rather than vertebrates.

 

Fipronil selectively acts on GABA and glutamate receptors. It kills an

insect by disrupting its central nervous system. The mechanism for

this 'selectivity' is not completely understood.

 

Newer research now shows that exposure to low concentrations is toxic

to vertebrates including mammals and humans. The mechanism is

excitotoxic.

 

 

This study found that, one day after applying FrontLine to an adult

dog, petting it for just 5 minutes while wearing gloves resulted in

exposure of 600 ppm.

 

Typical owners handle their pets more than 5 minutes per day.

 

Also, any surface the pet contacts will become contaminated, thereby

increasing exposure. Dander will also remain toxic for a period.

Children and anyone suffering an excitoxin-related illness are at

higher risk. Veterinarians and other pet care providers also have

increased risk.

 

 

Fipronil degrades slowly on vegetation (half-life of 7.3 months

depending on substrate and conditions) and relatively slowly in soil

and in water (half-life can accelerate to 36 hours in water and sunlight).

 

Desulfinyl fipronil and fipronil sulfone are two of the chemicals left

over after fipronil decays. They result from photodegradation,

biotransformation or oxidization mechanisms.

 

Both of these chemicals are more toxic than fipronil itself. They are

also very persistent in the environment.

 

 

A study on mice found that fipronil poisoning caused excitation in the

central nervous system, leading to damage in nerve cells related to

the over-expression of glutamate transmitters. This is evidence of

excitotoxicity.

 

In other studies where the animals survived, fipronil

 

& #8227; Disrupted endocrine activity and caused adverse reproductive effects

 

& #8227; Impaired spinal cord development

 

& #8227; Caused developmental delays, reduced brain weight, reduced

cognition, hearing impairment and hair loss

 

& #8227; Caused thyroid cancer

 

 

Fipronil is applied to rice fields as an insecticide. The runoff was

found to be highly toxic to crayfish.

 

Fipronil has been observed to bioaccumulate in fish, where some of it

biotransforms into fipronil sulfone.

 

Fipronil is highly toxic to bees (LD50 = 0.004 µg/bee). Bees have been

identified as a critical link in the ecosystem.

 

There is early evidence that some people are more susceptible to

fipronil's toxic effects than others.

 

 

 

 

More information on the dangers of fipronil can be found here:

 

 

http://fluoridealert.org/pesticides/fipronil.abstracts.htm

[Guest guest]

I could not use this product on my cats. They would start foaming at the mouth and convulsing. I had to immediately bath them to get if off their skin. Never again!!

Sandra

elan_spire Jun 14, 2008 5:24 PM Re: How toxic is FrontLine? (was flea & tick...)

 

 

 

, Sara Schneider<dancing_christian_mocha_girl wrote:>advantage and frontline are not poisons they are reputable Rx>preventions that are safe for most animals most times.Reputable??...do you really believe this?The information below is pasted from this site:http://www.sailhome.org/Concerns/BodyBurden/Sources3/Fipronil.htmlFrontLine is manufactured by a company called Merial, which is a jointventure between Merck and Aventis. FrontLine contains 9.8% fipronil by weight. In 1996 when fipronil was introduced for commercial use in the U.S.,it was praised as a safer insecticide because it appeared to targetinvertebrates rather than vertebrates.Fipronil selectively acts on GABA and glutamate receptors. It kills aninsect by disrupting its central nervous system. The mechanism forthis 'selectivity' is not completely understood.Newer research now shows that exposure to low concentrations is toxicto vertebrates including mammals and humans. The mechanism isexcitotoxic. This study found that, one day after applying FrontLine to an adultdog, petting it for just 5 minutes while wearing gloves resulted inexposure of 600 ppm.Typical owners handle their pets more than 5 minutes per day.Also, any surface the pet contacts will become contaminated, therebyincreasing exposure. Dander will also remain toxic for a period.Children and anyone suffering an excitoxin-related illness are athigher risk. Veterinarians and other pet care providers also haveincreased risk. Fipronil degrades slowly on vegetation (half-life of 7.3 monthsdepending on substrate and conditions) and relatively slowly in soiland in water (half-life can accelerate to 36 hours in water and sunlight).Desulfinyl fipronil and fipronil sulfone are two of the chemicals leftover after fipronil decays. They result from photodegradation,biotransformation or oxidization mechanisms.Both of these chemicals are more toxic than fipronil itself. They arealso very persistent in the environment.A study on mice found that fipronil poisoning caused excitation in thecentral nervous system, leading to damage in nerve cells related tothe over-expression of glutamate transmitters. This is evidence ofexcitotoxicity.In other studies where the animals survived, fipronil & #8227; Disrupted endocrine activity and caused adverse reproductive effects & #8227; Impaired spinal cord development & #8227; Caused developmental delays, reduced brain weight, reducedcognition, hearing impairment and hair loss & #8227; Caused thyroid cancerFipronil is applied to rice fields as an insecticide. The runoff wasfound to be highly toxic to crayfish.Fipronil has been observed to bioaccumulate in fish, where some of itbiotransforms into fipronil sulfone.Fipronil is highly toxic to bees (LD50 = 0.004 µg/bee). Bees have beenidentified as a critical link in the ecosystem.There is early evidence that some people are more susceptible tofipronil's toxic effects than others.More information on the dangers of fipronil can be found here:http://fluoridealert.org/pesticides/fipronil.abstracts.htm