Pet Food Dishes: The Danger of Plastics

Medical researchers from Bloomington and Berkeley investigated a common ingredient of plastics, Bisphenol A (BPA), to evaluate whether it could stimulate cancer cell growth. Unfortunately, it can.

BPA is an industrial chemical used in plastics to make mineral water bottles and household items. BPA is also used to make CDs, DVDs, and car parts. Although the chemical industry and plastic manufacturers argue that BPA is modified by cells in the body so that it is nontoxic, the researchers found that BPA is toxic and does stimulate cancer cell growth. This is significant because 95% of the urine samples collected from Americans contain BPA according to a survey done by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

It is likely that the same level of BPA occurs in pets as occurs in humans. We know that the incidence of cancer in pets is extraordinarily high—almost half our dogs and one-third of our cats living to be seniors develop cancer.

One easy step to take to reduce your pet’s exposure to cancer-causing BPA is to use stainless dishes rather than plastic dishes. In particular, do not use the large plastic containers that hold several days’ food or water. Also, do not heat food for your pet in a plastic container in the microwave.

We know that many factors contribute to the development of cancer. Reducing plastic is just one way to help reduce your pet’s likelihood of developing cancer.