Q: Can rabbits get rabies? A rabbit ran
quickly toward us, then away. It wasn’t a bit afraid of us. It was
more like it was hysterical. What causes this?
A: Love. What you describe is typical spring breeding behavior, said
Jennifer Menken with the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum of
Natural History.
Once the breeding hormones hit, rabbits chase, run in circles, fight
and jump. Males in particular will often defend territory with behavior
similar to what you describe. This flighty spring behavior in the
European hare is what’s behind the phrase ‘‘mad as a March hare.’’
As for the possibility of a rabbit having rabies, Menken said that
all mammals can contract rabies, but it is almost nonexistent in rodent
and rabbit populations. The most common carriers of rabies are raccoons,
skunks and bats. It’s best to never handle a wild animal, even if it
seems calm. And if you are ever bitten or scratched by a wild animal, be
sure to consult a doctor.
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SCOTCHGARD DOESN’T MAKE MATTRESS UNSAFE
Q: Scotchgard contains perfluorochemicals, which have been in the
news. I have Scotchgard on my children’s mattresses. Can they safely
sleep on these? Also, some lakes contain these chemicals. Can children
swim in them? How dangerous are these chemicals?
A: It’s probably safe to sleep on a mattress that was treated with
Scotchgard, said Minnesota Health Department spokesman Doug Schultz. The
worry with perfluorochemicals (PFC) is ingestion, not skin contact.
Children would have to get it into their mouths. One way that might
happen is as Scotchgard breaks down over time and becomes part of
household dust. Using a mattress pad and sheets, however, will virtually
eliminate that exposure, Schultz said.
The Health Department also says it’s OK to swim in lakes where PFCs
may be present in very low levels. The chemicals are poorly absorbed
through skin and incidental water ingestion is insignificant.
Studies show that nearly all people have some PFCs in their blood,
regardless of age. How it got there and what the consequences may be are
not known.
PFCs are a family of relatively new manmade chemicals. They were used
in products such as fabric protectors, nonstick cookware and
firefighting foam. PFCs are very stable. They do not change or break
down in the environment. They may be in soil, sediments, water or other
places. Minnesota is one of the few states where these chemicals were
made and used. Beginning in the late 1950s, 3M Co. made PFCs at its
Cottage Grove, Minn., facility and sent production waste to local
disposal sites. Yet PFCs are found in remote areas, such as in the blood
of Arctic polar bears.
Studies show that PFCs easily enter groundwater and can move long
distances. Some experts suggest that PFCs can also travel long distances
in air, deposit on soil and leach into groundwater. People could be
exposed through food, drinking water, use of commercial products or from
the environment. Some PFCs stay in the body for years.
High concentrations of PFCs in laboratory animals cause harmful
changes in the liver and other organs. Developmental problems (delays in
growth and maturation) have been seen in the offspring of rats and mice
exposed to PFCs while pregnant. Some types of PFCs in high
concentrations over a long period also cause cancer in lab animals.
There are not many studies of health effects in people. Studies by 3M
of workers exposed to PFCs during manufacturing show no apparent impact
on their health. There is no similar health study information for the
general population, although a study of 70,000 people exposed to
perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in drinking water in Ohio and West
Virginia is underway.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is engaged in a major
effort with companies that have made or used PFCs to investigate how
PFCs enter the environment, and ultimately how people and animals are
exposed to them. In addition, the EPA has announced an initiative to
phase out the use of PFOA by 95 percent by 2010 and entirely by 2015. 3M
eliminated its use of PFOA and PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) in
2002.
That’s when Scotchgard fabric protector was reformulated, said 3M
spokesman Bill Nelson. The fabric protector now uses a different form of
PFC that has improved environmental health and safety characteristics,
he said.
Includes information from the Minnesota Health Department
publication: ‘‘Perfluorochemicals and Health’’