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FACT BRIEF

Does Amazon spray chemicals on its shipping boxes that are harmful to pets?

By Sarah Thompson
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NO

Amazon says it does not treat its cardboard shipping boxes with either pesticides or disinfectants. A box industry spokesman says he does not know of any shippers who spray cardboard boxes with chemicals harmful to pets. A chemist who studied potential risks of cardboard to pets said there is no danger.

A rumor spread around Christmastime with unsubstantiated claims of pets -- specifically pet rats and cats -- falling ill or dying after being in contact with shipping boxes, with the rumors focusing on Amazon packaging. A spokesperson for Amazon said nothing is sprayed on its boxes. A spokesperson for a national network of specialty and emergency pet hospitals said its facilities had not seen any cases "relating to cardboard box toxicity."

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
makeyourownbirdtoys.com Is cardboard safe for my bird?
BluePearl BluePearl Pet Hospital – Chesterfield, MO
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.