Center for Comparative Epidemiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.
Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN.
Am J Vet Res. 2023 Mar 25;84(7). doi: 10.2460/ajvr.22.12.0221. Print 2023 Jul 1.
One of the important human health benefits of keeping pets may be to serve as an early warning system for indoor childhood exposure to toxic chemicals such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The stain-resistant properties and environmental stability of PFAS make them a preferred choice for protective coatings and lubricants, and they have been used for years in various manufacturing and industrial processes around the world. Although the use of PFAS has arguably improved many commercial products, they have been linked to adverse health outcomes such as developmental delays, liver damage, immune suppression, disruption of endocrine and reproductive systems, and some cancers. The current body of literature suggests that serum PFAS levels in dogs and cats are analogous to their human counterparts and that household pets experience similar changes in blood chemistry markers. The proximity of small children and household pets to PFAS-treated carpets and floors, in addition to their tendency to put things into their mouths, potentially allows pets to serve as sentinels for household PFAS exposure. To assess the suitability of pets as indicators for exposure, researchers need to understand the most likely sources of PFAS exposure for household pets and identify the biomarkers of biological effects in those animals. Understanding these parameters may alert veterinary clinicians to potential sources of contamination in the home and ultimately protect the lives of the children and animals who live there.
养宠物对人类健康的一个重要益处可能是充当室内儿童接触有毒化学物质（如全氟和多氟烷基物质 (PFAS)）的早期预警系统。PFAS 具有抗污渍和环境稳定性，是防护涂层和润滑剂的首选材料，多年来已在全球各种制造和工业过程中得到应用。尽管 PFAS 的使用据称改善了许多商业产品，但它们与发育迟缓、肝损伤、免疫抑制、内分泌和生殖系统紊乱以及某些癌症等不良健康后果有关。现有文献表明，狗和猫的血清 PFAS 水平与其人类对应物类似，并且家庭宠物的血液化学标志物也会发生类似变化。由于小孩和家庭宠物与经过 PFAS 处理的地毯和地板非常接近，而且他们还有将东西放入口中的倾向，因此宠物可能成为家庭中 PFAS 暴露的哨兵。为了评估宠物作为暴露指标的适宜性，研究人员需要了解家庭宠物最有可能接触 PFAS 的来源，并确定这些动物中生物效应的生物标志物。了解这些参数可以提醒兽医临床医生注意家中可能存在的污染来源，并最终保护居住在那里的儿童和动物的生命。
