Pet flea treatments are polluting our rivers and killing invertebrates, both from direct contact (through dogs swimming) and indirectly when pet bedding is washed and the water discharged (legally) through sewage treatment works.
We, and many other conservation organisations, have publicised this issue before (news item in 2020) but no action has been taken.
New analysis of Environment Agency data, by the Rivers Trust and Wildlife and Countryside Link, shows that three insecticides used widely in tick, flea and worm treatments (fipronil, permethrin and the controversial neonicotinoid imidacloprid) – are present in English rivers in concentrations that exceed accepted safe limits for wildlife. This is despite the fact that these chemicals are deemed to be too toxic to be used in agriculture.