Animal microchips linked to causing cancer

by Ethan A. Huff, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Many veterinarians recommend them, and most animal shelters require them. Identification microchips injected into the necks of cats and dogs are touted as useful in recovering lost pets because the devices store owner and medical information. But are they safe? A new lawsuit against Merck & Co., Inc., maker of the HomeAgain pet microchip, says they are not, noting that they can cause cancer to develop in pets.

Featured at www.ChipMeNot.org, a website launched to raise awareness about the harm caused to animals by microchips, the lawsuit alleges that Merck's HomeAgain pet microchip induces cancerous tumors in pets. According to the suit, the defendant's cat developed cancer after getting a chip implant, and according to reports, other animals have gotten cancer after getting chipped as well.

"Based on the alarming number of microchip-induced cancers we're discovering, I predict this lawsuit will be just the tip of the iceberg," said Dr. Katherine Albrecht, a consumer advocate and expert on side effects associated with implantable microchips. "Merck and organizations that advocate pet chipping should take this lawsuit seriously and start warning pet owners of the risk of microchip-induced cancer."

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, potential health risks associated with implantable microchips include "adverse tissue reaction". Based on data from the British Small Animal Veterinary Association, this can include "swelling", "infection", "abscesses", and "tumors".

Albrecht presented a paper on the subject called "Microchip-Induced Tumors in Laboratory Rodents and Dogs: A Review of the Literature 1990-2006" (https://www.chipmenot.org/pdfs/P074.pdf) at the June conference of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers that documents the increasing number of animals being harmed by microchips. Currently, there is no repository of data on adverse events associated with microchips in the U.S., but Albrecht organization, CASPIAN, is filling that void by compiling such information and making it available to the public.

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And we shouldn't be surprised that heavy use of cell phones and bluetooth devices will do the same. That's a back and forth controversy that I believe is not yet settled.

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I've never had any of my dogs/cats chipped, no bluetooth or heavy cell use either. My cell phone is really for emergency use, and when I do talk on it, it's limited to a few sentences, to the point, then good-bye. Any timely yacking (which is rare) is done on my land-line.

I do wonder about those folks I see everyday with their bluetooth hook-ups in their ears. It was funny one day I was in the fruit section room at a Costco store, and this older woman was arguing with someone, saying something like 'well, which one did you want, make up your mind already'. On the other side of the room, her husband was wearing a bluetooth, and I could tell that they were actually arguing with each other in the same room, but over their phones.

I hate it when people carry on phone conversations while doing something else, like while driving or at a traffic light. They are in their own little tiny world, and inconsiderate.

I was once shopping in a rather bohemian town of Sebastopol, CA. I walked out of the shop. Right at the door, and in the way, a lady was talking to someone and holding up a recently purchased skirt. She was saying how pretty it is to someone on the other end of the cell conversation. I loudly said, "No it is not. It is very hippy looking." I was telling the truth according to my taste, but I know I was rude. I could have asked her to move out of the doorway. Maybe someday people will get the hint that these conversations are not private.

This gal was on the coasttocoast show last night talking about the dangers of cell phones, including infertility in young men who kept them 'on' in their front pockets, and active sports women getting breast cancer from keeping them 'on' in their sportsbras. Here's the site with some additional info.

https://www.environmentalhealthtrust.org/

I have a friend who for years always used a wire connection to an earpiece for her cell phone. Not one of those bluetooth things. A wire. She says that people think she is paranoid. I say I don't think so at all. When I have to use my cell a lot, I do the same. I have the same thing connected to my home cordless too.

I know this is an old topic, but a year ago I tried to do as much research as possible before microchipping my girl. I probably spent hours trying determine if I should have her microchipped or not and at the end I decided to have it done.

Half of all dogs over the age of 10 years of age die from cancer, which my sister has a 6 years old dog that just got cancer, which is really sad.

I guess only time will tell if I made a mistake, but everything I've read indicates that it's less than 1% that get cancer do to the microchipping, but if after 10 years 50% die from cancer, then it's really hard to tell if the microchipping was a leading cause.