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Dangerous Mouse and Rat Poison Pellets Get Phased Out After EPA Puts Pressure on Nation’s Largest Producer

Written by Wendy L  |  02. June 2014

Rodent problems in the home have typically been addressed with mouse and rat poison products, but when these products don’t include a so-called “bait station” to keep the toxic pellets contained, it poses a danger and risk of accidental poisoning – especially for kids and pets. After decades of warnings by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the nation’s largest maker of rat poison has finally agreed to phase out 12 of its potentially dangerous products.

The makers of d-Con has agreed to phase out the products that don’t conform to the EPA standards. The production phase out begins immediately, but the company is allowed to continue production to only meet existing orders. The goal is to stop all production by the end of the year. The company will no longer distribute the products after March 31, 2015.

Products at stores may continue until inventories are exhausted, which is expected to be around the summer of 2015, according to the EPA.

The company of d-Con brand products will have a new formula for the products it is phasing out, but for it to be effective, it likely means a larger amount of the bait poison must be eaten by mice and rats for it to work.

The manufacturer of d-Con and the EPA have been battling it out for years with d-Con resisting compliance because it believed it had a case that their formula was least harmful of what’s on the market and its products were most effective for the job – changing it would impact its effectiveness.

The d-Con pellets under phase out are placed on open trays for rodents to openly and easily access. The intake results in fatal hemorrhaging, but death is not immediate so the rodents come back for more without notice of harm.

“Millions of households use mouse and rat poison products each year,” said Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “Canceling these products will help prevent risks to children, pets and wildlife.”

10,000 children a year are accidently exposed to rat and mouse poisons as a result of products like the d-Con pellets that aren’t secured in traps or bait stations. Accidental ingestion of it requires administration of vitamin K, which serves as an anti-coagulant.

Following current standards of the EPA ensures a trend of reduced exposure by children, pets and wildlife to rat and mouse poison products. Household products complying with EPA standards have pellets and other bait forms contained in a bait station. These products also do not contain brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difethialone and difenacoum.

[Source: EPA]

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