Rodenticides

also see wildlife section/birds p.2

Raptors And Rat Poison (By Cathy Bell, Cornell Lab All About Birds, July 15, 2015)     Of 161 raptors brought in to Tufts Wildlife Clinic between 2006 and 2010, 139—a whopping 86 percent—tested positive for anticoagulant rodenticides. Ninety-nine percent of those had brodifacoum in their liver tissues. Yet only nine of these birds displayed sufficient symptoms to lead to a clinical diagnosis of anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning.   A knowledge gap, says Allen Fish, is precisely the trouble. “There’s no clear public record of where we’re putting pesticides, who’s using them, how much is being used. Until we demand that information, we’re flying blind. There needs to be a whole public reckoning of who uses what, and why. We need to track how operators are using pesticides and then see if there’s any correlation with animal kills. We don’t know these impacts. We don’t have any data.”  As for the environmentally conscious homeowner with a rodent problem, Palmer points out that “there are many effective, economical, and easy-to-use pest control options that are much better for human health and for wildlife.” (ABC offers a list at saferodentcontrol.org.)  According to Fish, snap traps offer a more humane way to kill rats than a drawn-out and painful death by poison. SNAP Comment:  Brodifacoum is usually used in rodent bait. There are 17 brodifacoum containing pesticides regiaterd in Canada in April 2024. Most are registered as commercial products, none for direct use by consumers (domestic).

Rodenticides (Chemical Watch Fact Sheet, Vol. 20, Pesticides and You, No. 4, 2000-2001) Sorry, this is old but still relevant. However many new chemicals have come on the market since then.

Ask Retailers to Care About Kids™
and Pull Toxic Pesticide Product from Shelves  Group Renews Call for Immediate Stop to Sale of Toxic Rodenticides     (Beyond Pesticides, May 30, 2014)  USA

Anti-coagulants are often the main method of rodent control and they have terrible effects on other species eating affected rodents. There are many new classes of anti-coagulants on the market. They are, of course, used in medicine for several conditions. However, they would likely, like most medications, come out at the other end and end up contaminating water. I haven't found any studies on that. 

I looked on the Internet for fact sheets regarding anti-coagulants and wildlife and am still searching. 

Study Finds Eagle Populations Experiencing Widespread Rodenticide Exposure    (Beyond Pesticides, April 21, 2021) 'The vast majority of bald and golden eagles in the United States are contaminated with toxic anticoagulant rodenticides, according to research published in the journal PLOS One earlier this month.   Prior studies have deemed anticoagulant rodenticides “super-predators” in ecosystems for the widespread damage that can result from their use. This is because rodents that eat these chemicals, often contained in toxic baits, do not die immediately. While a rodent is likely to die from this poison, ingesting it also turns it into a sort of poison trojan horse for any predator that may take advantage of its slow decline. An eagle that eats a poisoned rodent at the edge of death will be the next to succumb to the anticoagulant effects of the chemical.   The second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide brodifacoum was the most detected compound in sampled eagles.