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  • 2016-03-25 (xsd:date)
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  • Milk-Bone Facebook Warning (en)
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  • On 22 March 2016, the Facebook page Planet Paws published a video claiming that Milk-Bone dog treats contained a known canine carcinogen, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA): In just under one week, the video achieved nearly half a million shares and scores more views, causing worry to dog lovers across the social network. On an initial watch, we noticed a brief portion that cited the unreliable health site Mercola: The viral Facebook video wasn't the first claim that BHA was a danger to dogs due to its purported carcinogenic effects. A blog about dogs featured several posts claiming that the National Institutes of Health had pegged BHA as a canine carcinogen, but only linked back to its own posts rather than any documentation from the NIH. We located a 1991 report [PDF] from the NIH on possible carcinogenic effects of BHA, but the most conclusive part simply stated: While experimental animals (presumably rats or mice) were mentioned, dogs did not appear in that NIH document. The Food and Drug Administration listed BHA as a generally recognized as safe, or GRAS, additive; with respect to carcinogenic properties, the FDA said: A 2000 study on BHA as a carcinogen published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology concluded: We contacted Milk-Bone about the rumors, and the company responded: Dr. Jessica Vogelsang of Pawcurious told us: We were unable to substantiate claims that BHA, which is commonly used as a preservative in Milk-Bones (and many other dog treats), posed a risk to pets. Decades of research indicated that BHA was generally regarded as safe in both human and animal food products, and the only information cited by sites claiming otherwise was speculative and published in 1991. While data was insufficient to prove a link between BHA (a preservative) and cancer in dogs, it was worth bearing in mind that a lack of preservatives often posed a far greater immediate health risk due to potential growth of mold and bacteria. (en)
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