Elanco
EPA watchdog launches probe into incidents linked to popular Seresto pet collar
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The EPA's Office of Inspector General will examine whether the collars can be used without posing health risks to humans.
Investigate Midwest (https://investigatemidwest.org/tag/elanco/)
The EPA's Office of Inspector General will examine whether the collars can be used without posing health risks to humans.
According to internal communication, EPA staff were also told to not mention in emails the popular Seresto collar, the source of myriad complaints.
The company behind the popular Seresto flea-and-tick collar has filed a lengthy defense of the safety of its product amid calls for federal regulars to ban over concerns of harm and death to the pets who wear it.
The maker of a popular flea and tick collar did not report thousands of adverse incidents to federal authorities as required until after an investigation by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting (Investigate Midwest) and USA TODAY was published.
As early as 2015, the EPA identified that Seresto "ranked #1 by a wide margin" when it came to incident reports of pet death and harm.
The petition comes about four months after an Investigate Midwest and USA TODAY story found the popular flea and tick collar had been linked to about 1,700 pet deaths and more than 75,000 incidents of harm.
The EPA said it is reviewing the findings as part of a larger investigation into PFAS contamination in pesticide products.
EPA data has linked Seresto flea and tick collars to about 1,700 pet deaths.
The lawsuit cites reporting from the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting and USA TODAY that showed the EPA has received tens of thousands of reports linking the collar to incidents of injured pets.
A Congressional subcommittee has asked Elanco to voluntarily recall its Seresto flea and tick collars, following a March 2 Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting and USA TODAY story on thousands of incident reports about pet and human harm linked to the use of the collar.