Certain plastic food containers have gotten a bad wrap for leaching toxic chemicals into food and water. And now it appears dog toys made of certain materials are along for the ride.
According to Discovery News, The worst offenders appear to be plastic fetching batons, called "bumpers," which are used to teach dogs how to retrieve.
The news was released on the heels of a conference held by the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
To test for the chemicals, the researchers created simulated dog saliva, then simulated chewing by squeezing purchased bumpers and dog toys with stainless steel salad tongs. Some bumpers and toys were also weathered outside to determine if older toys gave off more chemicals.
"We found that the aging or weathering the toys increased concentrations of BPA and phthalates," Smith said. "The toys had lower concentrations of phthalates than the bumpers, so that’s good news. But they also had some other chemicals that mimicked estrogen. We need to find out what those are."
Science has already shown that plastic products can in fact leach chemical components that are harmful to living things. Researchers will perform more tests to determine the threat these toys may have and how much actually enters a dog.
In the meantime, pet owners may want to re-think their purchase decisions. Especially with holiday giving right around the corner.
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