Investigate Midwest (https://investigatemidwest.org/tag/seresto/)
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.
More than a decade ago, nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council petitioned the EPA to ban the use of a pesticide called tetrachlorvinphos in pet products like flea and tick collars. The organization cited studies showing that the chemical, a possible carcinogen, had been linked to brain and nerve damage in children.
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.
The online retailer made its announcement after reporting from the Midwest Center and USA Today showed tens of thousands of incidents of harmed pets and nearly 1,700 pet deaths linked to the popular collar.
Seresto, one of the most popular flea and tick collars in the country, has been linked to hundreds of pet deaths, tens of thousands of injured animals and hundreds of harmed humans, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency documents show.
Yet the EPA has done nothing to inform the public of the risks.