Email
Karen,
The Parrot Lady™
TWEETY'S
NEWS
CORNERPlease use "bird safe" products around your pet!
NEVER give your bird chocolate
Avian Newsletter Readers/Avian Medicine Chest
Letter of warning from a long-time CustomerAs all of you know, from time-to-time we reprint letters that come from our trusted customers who care enough about all animals' welfare to take the time to send us their own personal experiences. This letter comes from a long long time customer from Texas who lost some of her most precious birds after using a common household product. The following is her story in her own words:
Please read this, a big danger for dogs, cats and kids.
Karen is doing something to try to stop the sale of this, also the USA needs to be strict on what is imported from India and China and we need to be very cautious.
We have suffered a terrible, terrible tragedy last Wed. December 3rd
2008 !!
Two, beloved Cavaliers of mine, Haley and Zoe both ate potpourri from a decorative basket in my living room . Within hours, they were vomiting it, convulsing and going into total body rigidity and shock.
We took them to the after hours clinic, they had no idea what it could be and wouldn't listen to me about them vomiting potpourri at home and how I had such concerns about the toxic effects of it. They treated symptoms. We transferred them to our day vet. He also wouldn't listen to me about the potpourri theory. He said they had "strychnine" poisoning symptoms. I kept telling him that the potpourri was Made In India, sold by a company in California and sold at my local WalMart. My heart told me that it was the culprit of their condition. They declined rapidly throughout the day and we transferred them back to the after hours clinic for a second night.
At midnight, I made the agonizing decision to put them to sleep.
Haley was in constant seizures that wouldn't stop, fluid was filling up in her lungs, body temp was dropping on both of them, Zoe was lying almost lifeless on the table, struggling with every breath she took. Every muscle was completely rigid, you couldn't even move her.
I have devoted the last couple of days (now that I can get out of bed and function) to researching my concerns with the potpourri and have since found out I was right....... .....there is a lab in England that has case studies on toxic potpourri from India!! The toxin....strychnine , which in it's commercial source, comes from a certain tree grown in India . I am completely heart broken over this.
Please be aware of the potential toxins in any and all stuff like this in our homes. I would've never guessed this could happen but when I saw them both "playing" in the potpourri and then after about two hours saw the symptoms of a poisoning, I just put two and two together. Hug your babies, Love them and always take lots of photos along the way...it helps later on, trust me.
Karen Cantner, Heartland Kennels, Evansville , Indiana USA
Our Dear Tammy and Paul Carreiro lost 3 of their feathery children on Thanksgiving day. A tragedy that I pray none of us ever have to go through. They had no idea that the self cleaning oven they have, and NEVER used was a danger to anyone. Bubba, the Severe Macaw, fell off his perch and Tammy called me as she did not see it happen but the bird was quite stressed. My first question was are you cooking with anything non stick. Of course her answer was NO> She brought the bird over to my home and we treated for shock and swelling in case the fall caused a problem. The bird responded directly and went right to Tammys shoulder. She took Bubba home. She called me in an hour to tell me the bird had died. And an hour after that she called again to say that it was something in her house, 2 more birds were going fast. I again asked about the non stick cook wear, and got a NO answer. I then asked about a self cleaning oven and got a Yes but never used. I knew instantly that that was the culprit. Tammy and Paul already had all the birds outside and the house airing out thinking it might be a gas leak.
Christmas is coming and everyone that is cooking and has birds...IF YOU HAVE A SELF CLEANING OVEN BOARD THE BIRDS..... Nothing that is non stick is safe and no self cleaning oven is either.
The gasses from these monsters act like an acid on the birds insides and kill them very quickly....We can only be thankful that the other four birds were spared.
PLEASE WARN YOUR FRIENDS THAT HAVE BIRDS AND TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEATHERY CHILDREN. You have now been warned, take no chances, This is far to important to ignore.
Our love to Tammy and Paul our hearts are with you and thank you for letting me tell your sad story so that we can, hopefully , save the lives of other birds in the future.
Karen Allen, President, South Bay Bird Society
P.S. Janet went out and bought a new stove today and dumped her self cleaning one.
I want to share with you a tragic incident, in hopes that it will spare you the loss of your treasured feathered friends.
My grandmother's cedar chest was positioned in my bird room. Since it was in need of polishing, I looked in my cabinet to find OLD ENGLISH FURNITURE POLISH, which stated on the label that it CONTAINED NATURAL LEMON OIL and had NO WARNINGS WITH REGARD TO INHALATION TOXICITY.
Tragically, after ONLY TWENTY MINUTES of using this product in my bird room, I had lost three of my precious budgies, Cupcake, Turner, and Blue. I frantically rushed all other birds from the room to outdoor fresh air. Not knowing for certain at this time what epidemic had befallen my flock, I began mapping the day's routine in my mind, down to the last 30 minutes. The quickness and nature of their deaths was textbook for food or chemical toxicity. Since their diets had not been altered on this particular day, and the furniture polish had been applied only 30 minutes ago, I had to come to the horrifying conclusion that it was the TOXIC FUMES from the OLD ENGLISH FURNITURE POLISH that was responsible for these tragedies. I immediately opened all windows and moved the cedar chest out of the room.
Within TEN MORE MINUTES my sweet conyer, Sunny died in my arms. At this point, my theory was confirmed because even though he was the biggest bird, his cage was positioned closet to the chest. My cockatiels were spared, but exhibited toxicity symptoms. My theory was that they were not as exposed to the fumes, since their cages were positioned further away from the chest and nearer the air conditioning vent, which provided some air circulation.
I immediately began treatment for toxicity on my cockatiels using METALOX and HEMOTOX combined with SYSTAMAJUV, PROBAC, and TRACE MINERALS. I was so glad that I kept a stock of products on hand for emergencies. I am very grateful, because now after about a week since the incident, my cockatiels, Buddy, Sambo, and Tweety are stabilizing, showing some weight gain, and on the way to recovery.
Besides the grief and sadness from the loss of my feathered friends, I now have to deal with the guilt that IT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. I appeal to you to PLEASE keep the environment that YOU and YOUR BIRDS live in free from toxic fumes!
Make a point to think about FUMES AND CONSUMPTION TOXICITY levels when trying a new product and even using your old ones in your household.
According to The Reckitt & Coleman Household Products report submitted to the Gov. for OLD ENGLISH FURNITURE POLISH, there was NO TESTING DONE FOR INHALATION; consequently, there was NO WARNING ON THE LABEL FOR INHALATION TOXICITY. This proves that you can't always trust that the label is giving you accurate and complete information about the product.
Please be informed and responsible, you just might SAVE THE LIFE of a pet, a child, or your own.
Regretfully submitted,Julia
By AMY CORTESE
TEFLON has been hugely successful for DuPont, which over the last half-century has made the material almost ubiquitous, putting it not just on frying pans but also on carpets, fast-food packaging, clothing, eyeglasses and electrical wires - even the fabric roofs covering football stadiums.
Now DuPont has to worry that Teflon and the materials used to make it have perhaps become a bit too ubiquitous. Teflon constituents have found their way into rivers, soil, wild animals and humans, the company, government environmental officials and others say. Evidence suggests that some of the materials, known to cause cancer and other problems in animals, may be making people sick.
While it remains one of DuPont's most valuable assets, Teflon has also become a potentially huge liability. The Environmental Protection Agency filed a complaint last month charging the company with withholding evidence of its own health and environmental concerns about an important chemical used to manufacture Teflon. That would be a violation of federal environmental law, compounded by the possibility that DuPont covered up the evidence for two decades.
DuPont contends that it met its legal reporting obligations, and said that it plans to file a formal response this week. If an E.P.A. administrative judge does not agree, the agency could fine the company up to $25,000 a day from the time DuPont learned of potential problems with the chemical two decades ago until Jan. 30, 1997, when the agency's fines were raised, and $27,500 a day since then. The total penalty could reach $300 million. The agency is also investigating whether the suspect chemical, a detergentlike substance called perfluorooctanoic acid, is harmful to human health, and how it has become so pervasive in the environment. The chemical - which is more commonly known as PFOA or C-8, for the number of carbon atoms in its molecular structure - has turned up in the blood of more than 90 percent of Americans, according to samples taken from blood banks by the 3M Company beginning in the mid-90's. Until it got out of the business in 2000, 3M was the biggest supplier of PFOA. DuPont promptly announced it would begin making the substance itself.
The E.P.A. is auditing 3M to determine if there were any civil violations of environmental law involving its chemically related products, Cynthia Bergman, a spokeswoman for the agency, said. The E.P.A.'s action on July 8 prompted the Chinese government to begin its own study on the safety of Teflon, and some stores there pulled Teflon-coated pans from their shelves, the government-run China Daily newspaper reported.
SOME people who live in or near Parkersburg, W.Va., where DuPont has manufactured Teflon for 50 years, are not waiting for more studies. Thousands of them have joined in a class-action suit filed n Wood County, W.Va., Circuit Court against the chemical maker, which they charge knowingly contaminated the air, land and water around the plant for decades without informing the community. The chemical has been found in the public drinking water at levels exceeding a longtime internal guideline considered safe by DuPont. The trial is scheduled to begin next month.
DuPont is contesting the accusations, and insists that neither PFOA nor Teflon poses risks to humans. "The evidence from over 50 years of experience and extensive scientific studies supports our conclusion that PFOA does not harm human health or the environment," said Stacey J. Mobley, general counsel of DuPont, in a statement responding to the E.P.A. ruling.
Critics say they will press their fight against the company because PFOA does not break down in the environment or in the human body, so the material that has been released could pose a healththreat for many years. "This is an issue that won't go away for DuPont, because this chemical will not go away," said Jane Houlihan, vice president for research at the Environmental Working Group, an organization in Washington that is DuPont's most vocal critic.
For that reason, some critics said they think that PFOA, and the family of perfluorochemicals known as PFC's to which it belongs, are potentially a bigger problem than many chemicals that have been banned.
That could have implications for hundreds of companies that use the materials, including the makers of popular brands like Gore-Tex, Stainmaster and SilverStone. "There's a huge ripple effect throughout the industry," says Rich Purdy, a toxicologist who was at 3M until 2000.
FOR DuPont, the controversy could hamper plans by its chairman and chief executive, Charles O.Holliday Jr., to shed the company's slow-growing businesses - including the unit that makes nylon and Lycra, both of which it invented - and focus instead on faster-growing businesses like genetically engineered seeds, soy-based products and electronics. While the company invests in those areas, it is banking on steady profits from products like Teflon.
Teflon-related products contribute at least $100 million in profit annually, according to company reports and court documents - almost 10 percent of the company's 2003 total. DuPont has been pushing its Teflon-branded materials (known as fluoroproducts) for new uses - such as a built-in stain repellent for fabrics and a spray-on cleaning product - and has identified new markets, including China, for expansion. The company has invested $50 million to expand Teflon production and $20 million on an advertising campaign in the United States.DuPont has reported revenue increases for both quarters of 2004, and earnings increased 57 percent in the first quarter of 2004. Frank Mitsch, an analyst with Fulcrum Global Partners, said he thought the E.P.A. action would not have an immediate effect on DuPont. "This will be tied up in the courts for a while," he said.
Still, in announcing its second-quarter results on July 23, DuPont disclosed that it had set aside $45 million as "a reserve for settlement in connection with the PFOA class-action suit." Gene Pisasale, an analyst with Wilmington Trust, a bank that was founded in 1903 by T. Coleman du Pont and is now one of DuPont's biggest shareholders, said that while "it's not a huge charge" - thecompany spent more than $1 billion on litigation over the fungicide Benlate - "if this were to be a continuing thing, I would have to take a second look."
At the very least, the Teflon flap could damage DuPont's well-polished image. The 200-year-old company, based in Wilmington, Del., prides itself on its corporate values, and Mr. Holliday is a high-profile advocate of socially responsible business. "In the chemical industry, the critical thing is not only investor perception, but consumer trust," Mr. Pisasale said. "That can be very hard to build back."
In a preliminary risk assessment report released last spring, the E.P.A. said PFOA was a possible carcinogen, but did not advise that consumers stop using Teflon products. PFOA is used as a processing aid in making many Teflon products and and is not present in end products, such ascookware. But some researchers assert that some Teflon products can release PFC's, including PFOA, in the environment and in the human body. They contend that this could account for its wide presence in the environment and in the population.
A spokesman for W. L. Gore &Associates, which makes Gore-Tex, said the material it gets from DuPont does not break down into PFOA, but he conceded that the material could contain trace amounts and that there was still an open question about safety. "Are the downstream folks involved? Sure. We all want to find the sources and pathways here," the spokesman, Ed Schneider, said.
A study that appeared this month in Environmental Science &Technology, published by the American Chemical Society, found varying levels of PFC's, including PFOA, in the blood of people living on four continents. The researchers postulated that prolonged use of products containingPFC's - like paper products, packaging, carpet treatments and stain-resistant textiles and cleaners - could be a major source of human exposure. DuPont dismisses such reports as speculation, and says it is working with the E.P.A. to study the sources of PFOA in the environment. Because PFC's do not occur naturally, the most likely sources are thought to be manufacturing releases or breakdown from products. The company acknowledges that fumes from Teflon pans subjected to high heat can release gasses unrelated to PFOA, which can kill pet birds and cause a flulike condition in humans known as polymer fume fever. PFOA is known to cause cancer in some animals, and has been linked to liver damage and other problems in animals. Its effects on human health have been little studied.
In the 1980's, a DuPont study of female workers exposed to the substance found that two out ofseven women gave birth to babies with facial defects similar to those observed in the offspring of rats that had been exposed to PFOA in another study. In its complaint, the E.P.A. charged that DuPont had also detected PFOA in the blood of at least one of the fetuses and in public drinking water in communities near DuPont plants, but did not report that it had done the tests.THERE is no federal requirement for companies to test unregulated chemicals like PFOA, but if companies have reason to believe a substance poses a threat, they are required by the Toxic Substances Control Act to notify the E.P.A. The agency also said DuPont was in violation of another federal environmental law for not providing all of the toxicological data it had gathered aboutthe chemical after a 1997 request from the agency.
The class-action lawsuit, filed in Wood County, W.Va., the home of the Washington Works plantwhere DuPont has made Teflon for decades, has turned up a series of documents that DuPont had sought to shield as proprietary information. The latest came to light in May, when the West Virginia Supreme Court voted unanimously to unseal several DuPont memorandums from 2000 in which John R. Bowman, a company lawyer, warned two of his superiors - Thomas L. Sager, a vice president and assistant general counsel, and Martha L. Rees, an associate general counsel - that the company would "spend millions to defend these lawsuits and have the additional threat of punitivedamages hanging over our head."
He added that other companies that had polluted drinking water supplies near their factories had warned him that it was cheaper and easier to replace those supplies and settle claims than to try to fight them in court. And those companies, he noted, had spilled chemicals that did not persist in the environment the way that PFOA does. "Our story is not a good one," he wrote in one memorandum. "We continued to increase our emissions into the river in spite of internal commitments to reduce or eliminate the release of this chemical into the community and environment because of our concern about the biopersistence of this chemical."
Another document summarizes the company's strategy for deflecting the PFOA issue and litigation. It offers various suggestions for improving credibility with employees, the community and regulators, such as "keep issue out of press as much as possible" and "do not create impression that DuPont did harm to the environment."
Local officials said the memorandums - with the E.P.A.'s action and recent tests that found increasing PFOA levels in their water - confirmed their fears."We've been exposed since at least 1984," said Robert Griffin, general manager of the Little Hocking Water Association, which serves about 4,000 homes in rural Washington County, Ohio, directly across the Ohio River from DuPont's Washington Works plant. "The community could have dealt with it back then, but DuPont saw fit notto inform us."
In June, Mr. Griffin included a warning in his annual water quality report to customers. It stated, in bold capital letters, that until the issue was resolved, "You are drinking this water at your own risk."
Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company
KUDOS TO THE MEYER CORPORATION
A huge HURRAY! to the Meyer Corporation the makers of Circulon Cookware. They are the first manufacturers of non-stick cookware that we've come across to put a warning about non-stick pans in with their product on their "Designed For Easy Use & Care card-point #2:
"Non-stick pans, when left to boil dry or placed under a broiler, will release fumes fatal to birds."
The Meyer Corporation has done what many other companies have failed to do...inform the public about the potential hazards to animals from their products! This deserves a word of praise! Write or call today!
Meyers Corporation, Inc.
Consumer Relations
One Meyer Plaza
Vallejo, CA 94590
dan@circulon.comPhone: 800-326-3933
Fax: 707-551-2953
I hope this warning will others who love their birds as much as I loved my quaker. He died last week after I installed new evaporative cooler pads in my Mastercool evaporative cooler. The instruction sheet that comes with the product said there would be an "odor" that would come off of the pads for about 24 hours. My 'Greenbean' died 6 hours later of respiratory failure. I contacted the company who makes these pads for the Mastercool cooler as well as pads that fit other machines to obtain a Material Safety Data sheet (MSDS). I wanted to find out exactly what the "odor" was that they warned me about. These pads are preserved with formaldehyde, phenol, acrylics and elemental copper. I asked the Munters company if they had done any testing on birds before they labeled their product safe for it's distributors. the answer, "no." this product is sold under the names of CELdek, CELdek with Mi-T-edg, Mi-T-Cool, and Mi-T-edg. I hope maybe we can warn others to remove their birds from the house for the day if they use this product.
Sincerely,
Kay Ewy
Tucson, Arizona
An e-mail states:
Date: Sun, 29 Dec 2002 13:31:00 -0500
From: "Liz Wilson"
Subject: PB: RE: Carpet Fresh HAS Killed
Unlike many (most?) of the internet claims of toxicities, Carpet Fresh has been *documented* as being toxic to birds. There was a presentation at the AAV's annual conference in 1994 regarding a documented case of Carpet Fresh being responsible for the deaths of 13 small birds in Iowa, based on pathology reports on multiple autopsies. 8 birds died within 1 hour of exposure and the following 5 died overnight. The cause of death was identified as a proprietary ingredient called Veilex (T). The veterinarian involved offered to work with the company -- Airwick -- to identify what exactly was toxic but the company refused, and also refused to reveal the ingredients of this "Veilex." They had to be threatened with lawsuits before they compensated the owner for her lost birds, and as far as I know, have still not put any warnings on their packaging ... which incidentally advertises the product as being safe around animals.It is unfortunate this person did not have an autopsy done, as nothing will apparently convince these companies to change if they are not damaged financially, and there will never be any lawsuits if owners do not have pathology to back up their claims. In case anyone would care to send comments to the manufacturer of Carpet Fresh asking for their reconsideration of a warning concerning the potential danger to pet birds you can go to their contact page at: https://wd40.com/contact-us.
The manufacturer is WD40.
Liz is right - they do market their product as safe to animals. If you browse their site you will also see that they "sponsor and support projects and programs that improve the quality of life in the communities we serve" and that they are "committed to the effort of community relations through the application of financial and human resources." so a simple warning label should be a snap - wouldn't you think?
CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE SELLING "COUNTRY FRESH" SCENTED RAID?!!??
Why give something that SHOULD NOT EVEN BE INHALED, a Country Fresh Scent?!? It's almost guaranteed that some child will mistake it for air freshener and be horribly poisoned. The World Health Organization conservatively estimates that more than 25 million people are poisoned by pesticide poisons, worldwide, each year, resulting in at least 20,000 deaths. In the US about 90% of poisonings happen in the home, and more than half of them involve children under age six. Please contact SC Johnson and let them know that this ridiculous product threatens the health of millions of unsuspecting people, especially children. Walgreens is also selling it on their website. Let their Investor Relations department know that you don't approve of them making a profit off of such a dangerous product.
“Please, Please warn people about the following product. My wife and I recently lost two members of our family. One was a 4 year old Orange Wing Amazon, and the other member of my family was a 10 year old Parakeet. Both in perfect health and happy as can be. One Saturday morning, at 2:30 am, we heard a hallowed squawking sound from Andy, our Orange Wing Amazon. We found him at the bottom of his cage, gasping for air. A minute later, he died in my arms. Immediately following his death (approximately 2 minutes), my parakeet passed on as well.
We were dumfounded. We had not a clue as to what happened. We checked for any gas leaks, had the power company come out, but not a trace of gas. We later learned that their death was caused by fumes from an electric heater, purchased to help take the chill out of the air for our dear family members.
The quartz heater purchased was a MARVIN MODEL 5000 QUARTZ HEATER, with Humidifier. Apparently some of the parts have been coated with TEFLON, without warning on the packaging. I will be contacting the manufacturer soon to voice my displeasure. Please be cautious of electric heaters.”
I was listening to Dr. Dean Edell on the radio Saturday and he mentioned "long burning candles" saying they have a metal core in the wick that causes them to burn slower. A professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor has run some tests on these candles and has found they raise the level of lead in the air to as much as thirty times what the EPA has deemed safe for people. I can't compare that with bird safe, safe for people can be instant death for birds. I don't know if the metal cored wicks are only in use in the scented candles or if you can find them in any candles. Kind of makes you think twice about burning any kind of candle. Please, pass this on as you see fit.
Bird Patroller Scott/aka Saddle Magic
“This last weekend my lovebird flew on to the top of our halogen floor lamp. We quickly got him off but we saw some smoke. Today he is seems to be keeping off one of his claws and there is a burn mark.” [If that bulb had touched his body he probably would have burned to death. Those bulbs are extremely hot. This is really a problem with birds that fly. We once bought one, realized the death trap it was for our little guys, and returned it. --Bird HotLine
BRASS KEYS Forwarded by permission of Nancy Strong on October 14, 1999:
Today on A3 of the L.A. Times was an article about the danger of lead poisoning from brass keys. Attorney Gen. Bill Lockyer sued 13 key and lock companies for not warning consumers. He said, "It turns out there are very significant exposures that can be dangerous, particularly to small children, and you know ... I see small kids with keys in their mouths at the grocery store all the time." Keys -- particularly brass ones -- are about 2% lead. Laboratory tests with three dozen keys found that if people handled their keys twice a day, the amount of lead that rubbed off on their fingers was an average of 19 times the state's "no-risk" level. Most silver color keys - such as car keys - contain only trace amounts of lead. Companies cited in the suit include Kwikset Corp., Schlage Lock Co. and Master Lock Co.
When I shopped for bird toys this week end I saw some acrylic bird toys with real brass keys dangling on them. If you have these toys, please remove the keys right away.
The following web site provides information on nutrition from Dr. Alicia McWatters. The site also has a list of most dangerous plants to your birds as well as ones that are not harmful to your birds.
This came to us via e-mail: "My cockatiel died after I used Arm & Hammer Pet Fresh carpet deodorizer. The Company finally admitted it's not recommended for use around birds. They said they didn't need to put a warning on the product. I'm just broken hearted, and her mate is just lost without her, Loretta. This is the first time we have heard of this, and one case doesn't necessarily make it so, but we thought we had better let you know so that you would be aware."
Email from Dr. Sue Chan, DVM, MPVM dated 12/6/99:
There has been a lot of discussion regarding the potential hazards of Febreze to birds. The manufacturer has made some modifications in their formulation in response to the controversy, but when I questioned the Proctor and Gamble consumer representative, they would not tell me what kind of testing had actually been done and refused to let me speak to a technical expert. The representative did say it was the FRAGRANCE, not the zinc that causes toxicity in birds.
I was told that the label has been changed to warn about use in birds, but the bottles I found on the shelf as recently as this week still do not reflect this change. I spoke at length with a Dr. Hansen from the ASPCA who told me that there may be a problem with birds and they are still collecting data---which mean that owners who have birds that die should send them the body (don't freeze it) so Dr. Branson Ritchie at the University of Georgia can do a necropsy. He did say there has been NO testing in birds to date. Thus, it is imperative that bird owners who have had birds die IMMEDIATELY call the ASPCA to find out what to do with the body.
If it is too late to do this, at least report their experiences to the ASPCA with as much detail as possible so there is a body of information on which to warrant further study if necessary. Please spread the word to other animal owners and people involved in the pet industry---veterinarians, pet shops, breeders, etc. It is important that as much information as possible is gathered so any potential danger to birds is adequately addressed as soon as possible.
Sincerely, Sue Chan, DVM, MPVM
An e-mail states: "A woman on the budgie list just lost all of her birds except one that seems to be pulling through after her husband sprayed Febreze on their sofa. She delineated the complete ordeal, even multiple calls to Procter and Gamble and her vet contacts. To ward off other disasters, the budgie list owner suggested that members get in contact with local media. (I don't see why P&G can't pull it off the shelves until they can slap a big sign on it of a bird with the international NO symbol superimposed.) If you have access to anyone who could help get the word out, please do!" Carol Woofers and Tweeters (active ingredient: Zinc Chloride--deadly to birds--confirmed by P&G employee)
2nd e-mail warning states: Hello All, I wanted to forward the following note which I got via the canary list to all of you. The new product for killing odors, Febreze, has been a big topic for some time amongst canary breeders because it kills birds. The company has been putting out disclaimers for months, but they have just entered our market in So. Calif. so we will begin to hear about it more here. In any case, it is bad for animals, children, birds, etc... Probably not wonderful for adults either since we do fall in the first category. So just a reminder to you and yours to keep it simple and just open those windows and clean those houses.
I recently heard about Febreze, there has been a warning note posted on the dogs' message board over at iVillage - apparently it can cause anything from allergic reactions to spasms to death in most animals and children, depending on the dosage they receive. I have been trying to find out if the chemical is related to whatever is in those 'baking soda carpet deodorizers' that is also so deadly to canaries - I know several people who have lost birds, even those in other rooms, after using it...
On the other side is a letter from the National Animal Poison Contol Center, but please read it carefully:
ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center
1717 S. Philo Road Suite 36
Urbana, IL 61802
Date: March 26, 1999
To: Whom It May Concern
Subject: Febreze™ Fabric Refresher
Recently there have been comments and discussions posted on the Internet suggesting that the use of Febreze™ Fabric Refresher in households is dangerous to animals. We have issued the following statement in order to help disseminate accurate information:"Veterinary toxicologists at the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center are conducting an on-going investigation into claims that use of Febreze™ in the home caused the death of several pets. All information reviewed to date suggests that there is no evidence that Febreze™ represents any risk to pets when used according to label instructions. Presently, the center considers the product safe to use in households with pets. As with any cleaning product, the center recommends that birds be removed from the room until the product application has dried and the area has been ventilated.
Please call 1-800-345-4735 if you have any questions or have a pet that you suspect is experiencing problems or visit us at http://www.napcc.aspca.org." Please photocopy this letter or download our statement from our web site and pass the correct information on to other friends of animals.
Sincerely, Steven R. Hansen, DVM, MS
Diplomate American Board of Veterinary Toxicology
Senior Vice PresidentYou may also view another letter at their website listed above dated April 16th.
An e-mail states: "A lady at our club meeting yesterday brought in a box of the new Reynolds cooking bags made of aluminum and plastic made for the oven...They say you can use them up to 450...She used 2 bags at 375 for 40 minutes and after coming back in 30 minutes found her Amazon closest to the kitchen pumping for air and eyes were burnt from the fumes...Metallic fumes filled the air...There is no doubt this bird would have been dead in another 10 minutes...Other birds suffered eye irritations. She called the company and reported it and we will run this in our club newsletter..Please post this where you think you may save birds lives...Bnita"
An e-mail states: On the issue of consumer protection and hazardous warnings, here's a new one, I think. Those yellow sponges with the green plastic fibers on the back for scrubbing pots -- "Pot Scrubbers" -- should be kept far away from our birds, fish, reptiles, cats and dogs, hamsters and whatevers.
Proctor & Gamble, in its continuing search to make America look clean and smell great, has a new "improved" version of the sponge on the market that kills odor-causing fungi that get in the sponge after a few uses. They make a big deal out of this innovation on the outside packaging. A friend of mine used one of these sponges to clean the glass on a 200-gallon aquarium. The abrasive backs are good for removing algae and smutz that collect on the inside of the tank. He refilled the tank and after the water had time to condition and rid itself of chlorine, he reintroduced his tropical fish collection of some 30 fish.
Within five hours of putting the fish back in the tank, they were all dead! Some began to die after only 30 minutes. He removed the survivors to another tank but they all died. Retracing his steps to clean the tank, the only thing that was different was using that new kind of sponge -- he'd used the regular old Pot Scrubbers for years. Lo and behold I discovered on the back of the packaging in about the finest print you could put on plastic a description of the fungicide in the sponge and the warning in tiny bold-face letters, "not for use in aquariums. Keep away from other pets." Thanks for warning Proctor & Gamble.
It seems the fungicide is a derivative of the systemic pesticide-herbicide, 2-4-D, more popularly known as Agent Orange, the chemical we sprayed all over Southeast Asian during the Vietnam War that many veterans and war refugees say did them permanent damage to their lungs and nervous systems. The package warning goes on to say they fungicide cannot be washed from the sponge even if it is placed in the dishwasher (in which case Agent Orange is now all over your dishes and drinking glasses). And, if you think its there to kill disease-causing bacteria like Salmonella from contaminated chicken meat, think again -- it's not and affective enough bactericide to kill those kind of bugs.
I called P&G to register a complaint and told them I'd never use their products again because I couldn't trust what they were putting in them. By the way, the same chemical in the sponge is used now in many of those popular anti-bacterial, anti-viral disinfectant liquid soaps and hand cleaners that are flooding the market. Don't buy that poison and warn your friends as well.
The following web site provided by one of our readers "debunks" the aforementioned statement. You may visit this site and read for yourself. http://www.snopes.com/toxins/scrub.htm
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