NEWS ITEM

Lawsuit Filed to Protect Consumers from Toxic Pet Products

Suit Alleges Flea Collars Expose Pet Owners to Carcinogen Without Required Warning

April 23, 2009 – The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) brought suit today in Alameda County Superior Court, alleging that sixteen major pet care product manufacturers and retailers are violating California’s Proposition 65. NRDC seeks an order requiring the defendants to either discontinue the distribution of propoxur-containing flea-and-tick collars or provide a clear warning that use of these products will result in exposure to a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer.

Altshuler Berzon LLP is co-counsel for NRDC in the lawsuit.

California Proposition 65 is a voter initiative that requires entities that produce, distribute, or sell consumer products, the use of which will expose consumers to a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity, to provide a clear and reasonable warning. Propoxur, which has been designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a probable human carcinogen and is listed as a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, is widely used in flea-and-tick control products for household pets. A recent NRDC study found that pet owners who spend one hour per day with a pet wearing a propoxur-containing flea-and-tick collar may be exposed to significant levels of propoxur.

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