A Dutch animal-protection organization announced on Monday,
December 8, that laboratory tests showed two items made with
dog fur contained toxic levels of chromium, a chemical
routinely used in the tanning process of dog and cat fur.
The startling announcement could help secure the final
signatures needed for the members of the European Parliament to
press the European Commission into banning dog and cat fur
across the Europe, where Humane Society International (HSI) has
been investigating the trade for the past several years.
It was the second time in three months that retail items
were found to contain toxic levels of chromium. HSI's
Australian office announced in October that two items for sale
in that country contained toxic levels of the chemical, which
can damage DNA as well as cause genetic mutation and cancer.
The Australian government is still deciding whether to ban dog
and cat fur.
The more recent lab tests, announced by the
Netherlands-based animal protection group Bont voor Dieren,
showed that two items—"two cats in a basket" and a furry mouse
toy, both made with dog fur—contained chromium levels well
above the amount allowed under European Union (EU) law for
children's toys. Under EU law, the maximum level of chromium
allowed in children's toys is 60 milligrams per kilogram. (60
mg/kg).
Research showed that the cat figurine in a basket contained
290 mg/kg (the figurine by itself contained 190 mg/kg), while
the toy mouse, designed for cats but also attractive to
children, contained 350 mg/kg. Hazardous forms of chromium,
including chromium chloride and chromium potassium sulfate, are
used in the fur tanning process in China, where an estimated 2
million dogs and cats are killed annually for their fur.
British member of the European Parliament (MEP) Struan
Stevenson, who has worked closely with HSI on the dog and cat
fur issue, held a press conference on Tuesday in Brussels, home
of the EU, to address the unfolding controversy.
"The European Commission [the legislative drafting body of
the EU] contends the sale of cat and dog fur in Europe is not
their problem, despite tens of thousands of citizens who want
action, the majority of EU ministers of agriculture who have
asked for a ban, and more than 270 MEPs who have signed the
declaration, so far, calling for an EU-wide ban," Stevenson
said.
"I have written Commissioner David Byrne [Commissioner of
Health and Consumer Protection who has said only individual
nations can legislate this issue, not the EU] to urge him to
take action in this matter countless times because undoubtedly
not only do these items result from great cruelty and involve
significant consumer fraud, but now it is also clear they pose
a considerable health risk, particularly to children."
The chromium tests and Stevenson's strong words came as the
European Parliament tries to secure the remaining signatures
for a Written Declaration that calls for a ban on the import,
export, sale, and production of cat and dog fur in Europe.
Parliament rules require that the Written Declaration have 314
signatures, or slightly more than half of the MEPs, no later
than December 22, 2003, for it to become the official position
of the European Parliament. To date, 274 MEPs have signed the
declaration which, if adopted, would compel the European
Commission to address the matter.
The Dark News Down Under
Earlier this year, HSI Australia found that a "cat in a
basket" toy, made from real cat fur, had a chromium level of
2,950 mg/kg. The Australian safety standard for allowable
chromium is 100 mg/kg. The toy was found to contain nearly 30
times that amount. A full length coat was also found to contain
toxic levels of chromium.
At the time of the announcement, in October, Dr. Marriann
Lloyd-Smith from Australia's National Toxics Network, Inc., had
this to say about chromium:
"A number of these forms of chromium [chromium chloride and
chromium potassium sulfate] can penetrate into cells, where
they can cause DNA damage, gene mutation and chromosomal
abnormality. Studies have shown a link between tanning
chemicals and cancer in workers, and some forms of chromium
have been identified by the World Health Organization as human
and animal carcinogens."
While the chromium tests have not yet yielded tangible
results in Australia, where the government has yet to
adequately address the dog and cat fur issue, several European
countries have already instituted bans, including Italy,
Denmark, France and Greece. (For more background on HSI's fight
against dog and cat fur in Europe, read EU Considers Comprehensive Ban
on the Cat and Dog Fur Trade.)
To HSI Executive Director Neil Trent, the time is now for
the European Commission to stop sitting on its hands over the
trade in dog and cat fur.
"There is increasing compelling evidence that Europe is not
just putting its consumers at risk by permitting this trade to
continue, but also risking the health of European children as
well," Trent said. "It's time Commissioner Byrne stopped
offering excuses on why he won't act on this issue and move in
a constructive manner to end this trade once and for all."
