Scientists call this the exposome: the sum of everything a living being comes into contact with during its life. Research shows that 90% of the risk of chronic disease is not genetic, but environmental [Rappaport & Smith, 2010]. This applies to humans and at least as much to animals.
Below, we’ll discuss five routes of exposure that affect every modern pet, and what you can do about them.
190,000 kg of drug residues end up in Dutch surface water every year — 11× more than all crop protection products combined [RIVM/Deltares] | 5–10× higher oxidative stress in dogs exposed to PM2.5 particulate matter compared to human controls [veterinary PM2.5 study, 2023] | 294 genes in the intestinal mucosa were expressed diferentially after 30 days of exposure to a realistic microplastics mixture [Body-Malapel et al., 2026] |
Particulate matter: what every breath brings
Particulate matter (PM2.5) from car traffic, industry and aircraft is small enough to penetrate deep into the alveoli and from there enter the bloodstream. Once in the blood, it activates inflammatory responses, damages blood vessels and disrupts mitochondrial energy production, the same biological pathway that is also attacked by other environmental toxins.
Dogs are more sensitive to PM2.5 than humans: studies show 5 to 10 times higher oxidative stress markers when exposed. They live on top of the floor, where particulate matter concentrations are highest. Cats that live indoors are associated with airway inflammation at higher concentrations of PM2.5 in the home. In urban environments with high traffic intensity, lung cancer in dogs has been reported significantly more often.
A study in PNAS (2025) calculated that lowering the average PM2.5 concentration according to WHO guidelines would result in 0.7–2.5% fewer animal visits at the population level. A small number — but a measurable confirmation that air quality directly affects animal health.
190,000 kilos of medicines per year in our water, what the RIVM knows few people know
RIVM and Deltares calculated that at least 190,000 kilos of drug residues end up in surface water in the Netherlands every year, almost eleven times more than all crop protection products combined. Of the 1,382 tonnes of drug residues in the Dutch sewer system per year, a third is not removed by the treatment plant. That amount reaches ditches, rivers and eventually drinking water sources.
RIVM and Vewin have detected more than 30 pharmaceutical substances in Dutch spring water and drinking water: painkillers (ibuprofen, diclofenac), hormones (ethinyl estradiol from the contraceptive pill, testosterone, cortisol), antibiotics, antidepressants and beta-blockers. In 2017–2018, 19 substances exceeded the risk limit that is safe for aquatic organisms one or more times. Sewage treatment is simply not designed to remove this.
PFAS in Dutch drinking water. RIVM concluded in 2021 and reconfirmed in 2023 that the Dutch together ingest more PFAS through food and drinking water than the health-based limit value of EFSA. In more than half of the measurements in drinking water made from river water, the PFAS concentration exceeds the safe contribution recommended by the WHO. At the end of 2024, all PFAS in the Netherlands were classified as Substances of Very High Concern.
The situation is more serious for dogs that drink from ditches along agricultural plots and roads than for tap water. Ditch water contains not only pharmaceutical residues but also pesticides, fertilizers and veterinary antibiotics from intensive livestock farming in higher concentrations than in treated drinking water, and structurally repeated at each outlet moment.
In fish in Dutch surface water, hormones from the contraceptive pill have been shown to cause sex change and reduced fertility. Antipsychotics affect the behavior of crayfish and fish. Dogs drink the same water every day. — RIVM, Medicines and water quality
What you can do: Use filtered drinking water for your animal, an activated carbon filter removes a significant part of pharmaceutical residues and PFAS. Discourage drinking from ditches and ditches along agricultural areas.
Insecticides: not only on the fur
Flea and tick products, grass and soil, nutrition from pesticide-rich cultivation areas: insecticides reach animals via several routes at the same time. What they do is now well documented: they disrupt the gut microbiome, damage the gut wall and induce oxidative mitochondrial stress.
Pesticide-induced dysbiosis also influences behavior and neurology via the gut-brain axis. The same pathways linked to neurodegeneration in humans are visible in animals as fear, aggression and reduced stress resilience. [Javurek et al., ISME Journal, 2023]
PFAS: in the food, in the blood, in the carpet
PFAS enter the bodies of animals through three routes: animal nutrition (detectable in 100 commercial products, highest in fish-based foods), drinking water (PFAS have been found in Dutch drinking water sources and are difficult to remove by standard purification), and indoor dust from PFAS-treated floors, furniture and cookware.
The biological effects are consistent: hormone disruption, impaired immune response, liver load. Dogs and cats clear PFAS faster than humans, but with daily diet, the exposure is also repeated daily. Their blood levels are similar to those of their owners, which makes them sentinels for the PFAS load in the household.
Microplastics: through food, water and air
Microplastics not only enter the body through food and water, they have also been found in indoor air and house dust. Animals that live on the floor inhale microplastics in addition to particulate matter. They have been found in human blood, lungs, and arterial plaques. They are biologically active: they damage the intestinal wall, activate the immune system and transport other toxins such as pesticides and PFAS into the body.
A recent mouse study (Body-Malapel et al., 2026) showed that chronic exposure to a realistic microplastics mixture exacerbated tumor formation in the colon and significantly altered 294 genes in the intestinal mucosa. These are the same genes involved in immune function and tumor growth.
From load to system support
You can’t fully control the environment. But you can limit exposure and support your animal’s system where it is hit hardest.
Air. Ventilate the room where your animal spends most of its day. Avoid dust circulation when cleaning. In high-traffic areas: limit long walks along busy roads during peak hours.
Water. Use filtered drinking water for your animal — an activated carbon filter removes a significant proportion of pharmaceutical residues and PFAS. Discourage drinking from ditches and puddles along agricultural areas or busy roads.
Insecticides. Do not use regular flea and tick products with insecticides. We have written a blog about this with the dangers of it. Plant-based alternatives are available for low-risk situations.
Nutrition. Vary in food sources. Limit highly fish-intensive feedings in the event of increased PFAS load. Pay attention to the ingredient list more than to marketing language. Preferably use varied raw meat food for the most varied microbiome possible.
System support. Oxidative stress is the common mechanism of all five classes of substances. Antioxidants (curcumin, glutathione, vitamin C), microbiome support, and inflammation regulation via omega-3 and polyphenols are the science-backed interventions. In liposomal formulation, so that they actually reach the target cell.
Support at the five points of exposure
NGD Care develops supplements that focus on the biological systems that are hit hardest by the exposome: antioxidant capacity, gut microbiome, vaccination regulation and barrier function. All in liposomal formulation for maximum absorption.
Antioxidant & NF-κB inhibition Liposomal CurcuminInhibits the central pro-inflammatory signaling pathway activated by particulate matter, pesticides and microplastics. 3–9× higher bioavailability than conventional curcumin. | Microbiome & immunity Medicinal MushroomsBeta-glucans from Lion’s Mane, Reishi, Chaga and Cordyceps support the immune balance and microbiome repair that are disrupted by insecticides and PFAS. |
Would you like to read the full scientific substantiation, including all literature references and mechanisms per substance class? The extensive article can be found on stefanveenstra.nl.
Sources: Rappaport & Smith (2010) Science; RIVM / Deltares, Drug residues and water quality (update); NTVG 2022:D7201 (Schouten); RIVM Medicines and water quality; RIVM PFAS in Dutch drinking water (2021/2023); KWR PFAS in Rhine, Meuse and drinking water (2024); RIVM Veterinary medicines in surface water intensive livestock farming; Lin et al. (2018) J Vet Intern Med; PNAS (2025) Air pollution and petcare; Krittanawong et al. (2023) Int J Cardiol; Body-Malapel et al. (2026) Environmental Pollution (PMID 41672396); Javurek et al. (2023) The ISME Journal; Ghosh et al. (2024) Chem Res Toxicol; Nomiyama et al. (2026) Environmental Pollution; Bair-Brake et al. (2023) Am J Vet Res; Marfella et al. (2024) N Engl J Med; Perruzza et al. (2024) J Translational Medicine; Mostafalou & Abdollahi (2013) Arch Toxicol. Full bibliography via stefanveenstra.nl.