Citations

raise the risk of canine malignant lymphoma by as much as 70 percent: See Biki B Takashima-Uebelhoer, et al., “Household Chemical Exposures and the Risk of Canine Malignant Lymphoma, a Model for Human Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma,” Environ Res 112 (January 2012): 171–76. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2011.12.003. Epub 2012 Jan 4.

a strong link between chemically treated lawns and increased risk for canine cancers: See Lawrence T. Glickman, et al., “Herbicide Exposure and the Risk of Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder in Scottish Terriers,” J Am Vet Med Assoc 224, no. 8 (April 2004): 1290–97. doi: 10.2460/javma.2004.224.1290.

They make up what’s called the “body burden”: For everything you want to know about the body burden, go to the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments at https://envirn.org/hazards/body-burden/. Also check out entries and studies about the body burden at www.ewg.org, and the CDC’s National Biomonitoring Program at https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/.

unlikely sources of BPA and phthalate exposure in dogs: See Kimberly J. Wooten and Philip N. Smith, “Canine Toys and Training Devices as Sources of Exposure to Phthalates and Bisphenol A: Quantitation of Chemicals in Leachate and In Vitro Screening for Endocrine Activity,” Chemosphere 93, no. 10 (November 2013): 2245–53. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.07.075. Epub 2013 Sep 3.

household air can be a toxic cocktail—often filled with dust that contains chemicals toxic to the immune, respiratory, and reproductive systems: See Lidia Morawskai, et al., “Real-time Sensors for Indoor Air Monitoring and Challenges Ahead in Deploying Them to Urban Buildings,” Science of the Total Environment (April 2016). doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.04.032

biochemists at the New York Department of Health set out to measure exposures to twenty-one phthalate metabolites in pet cats and dogs in 2019: See Rajendiran Karthikraj, Sunmi Lee, and Kurunthachalam Kannan, “Urinary Concentrations and Distribution Profiles of 21 Phthalate Metabolites in Pet Cats and Dogs,” Sci Total Environ 690 (November 2019): 70–75. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.522. Epub 2019 Jul 2.

BPA was shown to upset the canine endocrine system: See Zoe L. Koestel, et al., “Bisphenol A (BPA) in the Serum of Pet Dogs Following Short-term Consumption of Canned Dog Food and Potential Health Consequences of Exposure to BPA,” Sci Total Environ 579 (February 2017): 1804–14. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.11.162. Epub 2016 Dec 6.

flame retardants as the likely culprit in the epidemic of hyperthyroidism among cats: See C. M. Poutasse, et al., “Silicone Pet Tags Associate Tris (1,3-dichloro-2-isopropyl) Phosphate Exposures with Feline Hyperthyroidism,” Environ Sci Technol 53, no. 15 (2019): 9203–13.

these substances are ubiquitous in the environment and have been detected at high levels in dog poop: See Jing Ma, Hongkai Zhu and Kurunthachalam Kannan, “Fecal Excretion of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Pets from New York State, United States,” Environmental Science & Technology Letters 7, no. 3 (2020): 135–42. doi: 10.1021/acs.estlett.9b00786.

More than 80 percent of North Americans use some kind of air fresheners: See Grand View Reports’ summary of “U.S. Air Fresheners Market Analysis by Product Type (Aerosol/Spray, Electric Air Fresheners, Gels, Candles, Others) by Application (Residential, Commercial, Cars, Others), Competitive Analysis And Segment Forecasts, 2018 – 2025” at https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/us-air-fresheners-market. In it, the report says that according to a survey conducted by the Census data and Simmons National Consumer Survey (NHCS), “more than 80% of the U.S. population uses air freshener products, primarily for residential applications.”

developing asthma and other lung diseases by as much as 71 percent: See B. C. Singer, H. Destaillats, A. T. Hodgson, and W. W. Nazaroff, “Cleaning Products and Air Fresheners: Emissions and Resulting Concentrations of Glycol Ethers and Terpenoids,” Indoor Air 16, no. 3 (June 2006): 179–91. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0668.2005.00414.x.

a paper highlighting the problem of “anthropogenic contaminants” in water: See Andressa Gonsioroski, Vasiliki E. Mourikes, and Jodi A. Flaws, “Endocrine Disruptors in Water and Their Effects on the Reproductive System,” Int J Mol Sci 21, no. 6 (March 2020): 1929. doi: 10.3390/ijms21061929.

coined the term “obesogens” to describe chemicals that can make us fat: See Bruce Blumberg’s book The Obesogen Effect: Why We Eat Less and Exercise More but Still Struggle to Lose Weight (New York: Grand Central, 2018).

One such study published in the BMJ found that people who lived in the noisiest areas: See Anna L Hansell, et al., “Aircraft Noise and Cardiovascular Disease Near Heathrow Airport in London: Small Area Study,” BMJ 347 (October 2013): f5432. doi: 10.1136/bmj.f5432.

revealed a link between noise and underlying pain: See Ana Luisa Lopes Fagundes, et al., “Noise Sensitivities in Dogs: An Exploration of Signs in Dogs with and without Musculoskeletal Pain Using Qualitative Content Analysis,” Frontiers in Veterinary Science 5 (2018): 17. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00017.

sound blasts increased heart rate and salivary cortisol levels and elicited postural signs of anxiety: See B. Beerda, et al., “Behavioral, Saliva Cortisol and Heart Rate Responses to Different Types of Stimuli in Dogs,” App Anim Behav Sci 58, no. 3-4 (July 1998): 365–81.

behavior changes when exposed to extremely low levels of electromagnetic fields (EMFs): See the National Research Council (US) Committee on Assessment of the Possible Health Effects of Ground Wave Emergency Network (GWEN). Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1993. Chapter 4: Perception and Behavioral Effects of Electromagnetic Fields. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK208988/.