National Pesticide Information Center's web-based portal for veterinarians: A new tool to report pesticide incidents among animals

Most household pets are treated with a pesticide product at some point in their lives to control fleas, ticks and/or mites. Adverse reactions to pesticide applications have been reported to the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC), which is a cooperative effort between the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Oregon State University. NPIC receives about 25,000 inquiries per year from across the United States. In 2008, 33% of reported incidents involved a single animal, most often a family pet. In 2008, NPIC received 57 reports of animal deaths, and transferred 35 calls to the Animal Poison Control Center (APCC). Incidents involved molluscides, insecticides, rodenticides and insect-growth regulators. EPA has utilized incident data from NPIC and other sources to develop regulatory interventions including product label changes, increased risk mitigation measures, and product cancellations. NPIC and EPA recently collaborated with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to develop a web-based incident-reporting portal to promote timely and detailed reporting of adverse reactions to pesticides by licensed veterinarians. The site was designed to capture the optimal amount of relevant information, balanced with a quick and user-friendly interface for busy practitioners. Using this new tool, veterinarians are encouraged to submit reports if and when adverse reactions to pesticides are observed in pets, wildlife and domestic animals.