Responsible use of antiparasitic medications: Protecting the environment
Protecting the environment
Published 16 June 2023 | Updated 14 February 2024
There have been concerns about the effect of the use of parasiticides on the wider environment for some time. Initially the main concerns related to the use of neonicotinoids for pest control in plants and the effect that this was having on bees and other insects. There is already a wide literature base available regarding the impact of pharmaceuticals on the environment with many of these papers being published in journals that cover toxicology and environmental science. See the In The Spotlight: Veterinary medicines and the environment .
The following are a selection of papers, reports, and resources, specifically related to anthelmintics and other antiparasitic medications.
- Haseler, C.J. et al. (2024) Environmental impacts of equine parasiticide treatment: The UK perspective. Equine Veterinary Education, https://doi.org/10.1111/eve.13944
- Rondeau, G. et al. (2014) Delayed and time-cumulative toxicity of imidacloprid in bees, ants and termites. Scientific Reports, 4, no. 5566. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep05566
- Forbes, A. (2021) Environmental risk assessment of veterinary parasiticides used in cattle. Livestock, 26 (1), pp. 15-25. https://doi.org/10.12968/live.2021.26.1.15
- Paleolog, J. et al. (2023) Imidacloprid pesticide causes unexpectedly severe bioelement deficiencies and imbalance in honey bees even at sublethal doses. Animals, 13 (4), no. 615. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13040615
- Wells, C. and Collins, C.M.T. (2022) A rapid evidence assessment of the potential risk to the environment presented by active ingredients in the UK’s most commonly sold companion animal parasiticides. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29, pp. 45070-45088. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20204-2
- Perkins, R. et al. (2024) Down-the-drain pathways for fipronil and imidacloprid applied as spot-on parasiticides to dogs: Estimating aquatic pollution. Science of The Total Environment, 917, 170175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170175.
- Perkins, R. et al. (2021) Potential role of veterinary flea products in widespread pesticide contamination of English rivers. Science of The Total Environment, 755 (1), no. 143560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143560
- Preston-Allen, R.G.G. et al. (2023) Grantham Institute Briefing. Are urban areas hotspots for pollution from pet parasiticides? [Imperial College] [online]. Available from: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham/publications/are-urban-areas-hotspots-for-pollution-from-pet-parasiticides.php [Accessed 8 June 2023]
- Food safety. Some facts about neonicotinoids [European Commission] [online]. Available from: https://food.ec.europa.eu/plants/pesticides/approval-active-substances/renewal-approval/neonicotinoids_en [Accessed 8 June 2023]
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