I was just reading my environmental science book for school and all of a sudden I see something that says "owning birds for at least 10 years doubles your risk for lung cancer due to the inhalation of bird dander." Um, wow. Bad news. Because my family has owned birds our entire lives. Is this really true? It's really bothering us because we can't undo those years of owning birds and, besides, we love our pet birds. Can anyone clear this up for me?
Birds - 5 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
No, you can't get cancer from birds. You can, however, get a severe allergy or have an asthma attack if you own a cockatoo or another dusty bird ('toos are the worst) but you can prevent this by getting a good filter and bathing the birds regularly. Here's a website all about it: http://www.cockatootrainer.com/allergies/
2 :
I don't think that's very true. As long as you keep the birds clean then you should be fine. sometimes books are not 100% accurate.
3 :
People with asthma, allergies or respiratory problems can experience breathing problems from feather dander. Even those who can tolerate some feather dust, may not be able to handle the additional dust produced by a Powder Down Bird. There is a disease called allergic alveolitis (also known as budgerigar dander pneumonicosis, bird breeder's disease, hypersensitivity pneumonitis and pigeon breeder's lung) which affects the lungs and occurs in people who are hypersensitive to feathers, feather dust, and fecal material -- expecially from pigeons and budgies. You can read more about it in Allergic Alveolitus. Feather Dust can be easily spread throughout a home. Birds have a wide variety of feathers, from large flight feathers to tiny down feathers. Read more about feathers at Feathers. The tiny down feathers, small pieces of feathers and other feather particles are very light and can easily be carried throughout the area by traffic, air currents and even via air conditioning and heating ducts.The Powder Down Birds have an additional type of feather. Powder down feathers are small specialized feathers that shed a very fine, white, waxy powder composed of keratin. Powder down forms a waterproof barrier for contour feathers and is spread through the feathers when the bird grooms. Cockatiels, Cockatoos and African Greys, produce the greatest amount of powder on their feathers. If one strokes a powder down bird, it will feel very silky and soft. And when done, there will often be a coating of fine white powder on the hand. As mentioned above, powder down can cause irritation to people with respiratory problems and allergies. Most parrots - except amazons and a few of the macaws - have a preen gland (uropygial gland) which is found on the back at the base of the tail. When a bird grooms its feathers, it spreads the secretions from the gland throughout its feathers. This is important for waterproofing the feathers, manufacturing vitamin D precursors, keeping the skin, feathers, and bill supple, and performing an antibacterial function. But it also causes feather dust to be slightly sticky and difficult to remove.
4 :
Well I sure as heck hope not. I bred cockatiels for over 10 years. I will say tho, that I did develop an allergy to them. But as soon as I gave up breeding, my problems stopped. The Dr recommended that I get rid of them so that I did not develop asthma. But he never said anything about cancer. Where do people come up with this stuff anyway? Theres always some one saying some thing will cause cancer.... Geeezzze. But that's not your question. I really don't think that having a couple of birds around you will cause cancer. Remember, I was breeding, I had 8 pairs of cockatiels, That's a lot of bird handling. Some people I know that are breeders have been doing it for twice as long as I did and still don't have any allergies. So..... If you only have a couple birds at a time, and you keep the cages clean I wouldn't think you could get cancer. If you are really worried about it, ask you Dr the next time you see him/her.
5 :
Well if that's true, couldn't the same be said about people with extremely dusty homes? ;) Unless you're living with dozens of birds in a small space, I think there would be a lot more regular house dust than bird dust in the air.
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