What Are the Dangers of Frontline?
Frontline is a popular pet medication used to prevent flea infestation in dogs and cats. While fleas are a nuisance to pets and households, there are some concerns about the use and potential hazards of Frontline as a flea preventative. Adverse effects stemming from the active ingredient in Frontline have been identified for people, pets and other wildlife.
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Significance
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Frontline is a popular flea treatment for dogs and cats. Manufactured by Merial Pharmaceuticals, the active ingredient in Frontline is fipronil, licensed for use in veterinary medicine as a pesticide. Frontline is applied topically and absorbed through the skin of dogs and cats to prevent flea infestations which can cause skin and health issues for pets and households. According to the manufacturer, Frontline is waterproof and is a veterinarian-recommended flea and tick preventative.
Function
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Fipronil, the primary active ingredient found in Frontline, is an insecticide from the phenylpyrazole chemical family. It is used not only for flea and tick solutions like Frontline but in other pesticides used for insect management. Fipronil is a common ingredient for solutions managing ants, beetles, cockroaches, termites and other infestations. On its own, fipronil is a white power. As an active ingredient in Frontline, fipronil is part of a liquid solution designed to protect the animal as it stores in sebaceous glands in the skin. Fipronil destroys insects by disrupting the normal function of the nervous system in insects and is considered more toxic to insects than human and animals.
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Hazards for Dogs
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Despite fipronil and Frontline's determined safety for animals as a flea preventative, there has been controversy over how safe these products are in long term pet health. According to Whole Dog Journal, a monthly dog care and training publication, the active ingredient found in Frontline is a chemical that has demonstrated potential for nervous system and thyroid toxicity after long term exposure. Even at low dosages, it has been determined that fipronil can potentially cause skin problems, reproductive and hormone issues.
Hazards for Humans
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Though application instructions provide instructions for people in applying Frontline on their pets, there is still risk and concern in handling Frontline for the owner. Instructions indicate not to allow the solution to come in contact with human skin. In the event that it does, it is advised to wash the hands immediately and avoid touching other parts of the body. Direct, short-term contact with the skin can result in minor irritation. If ingested, Frontline's active ingredient can cause nausea, headaches, stomach pains, sweating and even seizure. While Environmental Protective Agency research is inconclusive on fipronil's cancer causing effects on humans, it is still classified as a possible human carcinogen.
Hazards for Wildlife
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According to the Journal of Pesticide Reform, flea prevention medications like Frontline persist on the skin of an animal treated with the solution for as long as 56 days. During that time, the animal will likely have contact with people and its greater environment. As a general pesticide, the active ingredient fipronil is considered toxic to birds, lizards, fish and other animals, even in minute concentrations with research showing clear adverse effects in reproduction.
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